Can an AI driver dominate NASCAR? Harvard genius confirms the reality, and the danger

AI is the topic on so many lips right now, it seems pretty much the entire US job market is at risk if you believe all the talk. So what about NASCAR drivers?

The boundaries of what is possible thanks to Artificial Intelligence seem to be growing, and blurring every day. To the extent that it is already in use in the Cup Series.

Trackhouse Racing is already getting extra help in making decisions on track, but what about actually behind the wheel? Could a robot driver beat the likes of Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin in a Cup Series race? What is truth, and what is reality?

The fascinating topic was under the microscope when Harvard physicist Avi Loeb appeared on the Danny Jones Podcast. He spoke about the possibilities for AI in NASCAR, and his takeaway from a recent trip to Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway.

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AI drivers in NASCAR, could it happen?

Loeb said: "The racer put me in the car after I signed my name on his T-shirt and showed me how to drive it. So then he invited me to go to Daytona. And my wife said, 'No way, you're not taking that risk.'"

"So, you know, it would have been worse if I were to participate in Daytona. And one interesting insight that I had during the car race is I wondered, you know, why isn't there a corporation that makes a self-driving car that will win the NASCAR?”

Then, in answering his own $64,000 question, Loeb perhaps came up with the reason it has not happened yet, and maybe the reason it never will.

He continued: "I mean, that's obviously doable. And my answer is that we enjoy watching humans compete. And, you know, computers are able to do better than humans in chess. And by now, there is art that is definitely competitive with human-made art.

"Nevertheless, we don't pay much for it. And the reason is that we enjoy the human connection. And in sports, we don't want to see a robot that outruns the best athletes. And the same would be true with art, that art is a way of communication among humans. And therefore, you know, AI will never substitute for a human touch."

The element of danger

Jones himself backed up Loeb’s point with another key wrinkle - the element of risk and danger.

"If there's no humans in the cars, there's no risk," he responded. "No, you know, the risk-reward, right? The more risk, the higher the reward. And it's just like with doing anything, even creating art or whatever.

"You have to risk spending the time to create something, putting your life in danger to race this car. It makes it more entertaining and more thrilling and exhilarating to witness."