AI can drive like a human, but only if you tell it what to look for

Researchers tested if large language models could act as human drivers in a simplified merging scenario. The AI models could mimic some human driving behaviors, but failed to react consistently to changing speeds.

Automated vehicle developers need reliable models of human driving behavior to test their systems safely. If AI can act as a human driver in simulations, it could speed up testing and reduce costs. But this paper shows that AI models are still unreliable, and their performance depends heavily on how they are prompted, which means they are not yet ready for real-world safety evaluations.