Glossary / General

algorithms

8 Episode Mentions

Too Afraid to Ask

Algorithms are the car’s software “rules” for interpreting what it sees and deciding what to do. Different driving modes make the car run different software tasks.

Technical Definition

Algorithms are the software logic that processes sensor data (cameras/radar/ultrasonics) to make decisions like lane keeping, speed control, and collision avoidance. The speaker is arguing that different functions (autopilot vs active safety vs parked monitoring) require different algorithm workloads.

Hear It Discussed

"And if you use computers more and more, if you use algorithms more and more to solve that problem, then presumably every single car company in the world will start to"
What is the Best Genre of Cars? | The Car Podcast #85 The Car Podcast with Chris Harris & Friends 28:54

"But this application is not like that because the algorithms are running to right now are different than if you weren't engaging autopilot and you just want an active safety."
March 23, 2026 | VW cuts capacity despite backlog; Nvidia's Ali Kani Automotive News Daily Drive 19:06

"But right now, there would just be the way that algorithms have advanced and AI has advanced [201.9s] and will advance even more if this was coming in the 2030s."
To refuel or not to refuel - The dilemma hanging over F1's future The Race F1 Podcast 03:16