AV companies refuse to disclose remote assistance data to Congress

The debate over autonomous vehicle (AV) operations is intensifying in the U.S. following a congressional inquiry into how much these systems rely on human intervention. Seven U.S. autonomous vehicle companies refused to disclose how often their vehicles rely on remote staff, according to Sen. Ed Markey. The inquiry follows recent criticism against Waymo over its use of remote assistance workers in the Philippines. In response to the companies’ silence, Markey, a U.S. Senator, criticized the sector for a “stunning lack of transparency from the AV companies around their use of remote assistance operators to help guide their AVs.” Markey is now working on legislation to impose strict guardrails on AV companies’ use of remote operators.

This legislative push comes amid broader safety concerns and disclosures across the industry. In a notable admission, Tesla stated that its remote assistance workers are authorized to temporarily assume direct vehicle control as a final escalation maneuver. This disclosure comes as Tesla’s workforce at its Austin, Texas factory dropped 22% in 2025. Meanwhile, international and domestic safety incidents continue to draw scrutiny. In China, Baidu robotaxis stalled, trapping passengers for up to two hours due to system failure. In the U.S., Lucid issued a recall for its Gravity SUVs after discovering a problem with the seat belts. These developments unfold as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (the US federal agency responsible for vehicle safety) reported that traffic deaths fell 6.7% to 36,640 in 2025.

Developments in New York, California, Michigan, and the Middle East highlight shifting testing grounds and market expansions. Supervised testing of automated driving systems has started on public highways in California and Michigan. Meanwhile, Uber launched robotaxi operations without a human safety operator in Dubai as part of a broader expansion in the Middle East.

Beyond these operations, the mobility sector remains active with significant capital movement:

• Uber and Blacklane: Uber is acquiring Blacklane, which has raised more than $100 million to date.
• Saronic Technologies: The Austin, Texas-based developer raised $1.75 billion in Series D funding, valuing the company at $9.25 billion.
• Also and DoorDash: Also is partnering with DoorDash to develop autonomous delivery vehicles, with DoorDash participating in Also’s $200 million Series C funding round.
• Manna Air Delivery: The drone delivery startup based in Ireland raised $50 million.
• Voltify: The locomotive retrofitting startup raised $30 million in seed funding.

Why it matters

The standoff between regulators and AV developers over remote assistance transparency is shifting from a PR issue to a legislative one, signaling a potential end to the industry’s era of self-regulation.