Baidu first revealed its self-driving plans in 2014. Late last year, the company completed its first driverless test, putting a modified BMW 3 through its paces in mixed road conditions on a 19-mile trek. The goal is to begin using autonomous shuttles or buses that follow a loop in China by 2018. As the Wall Street Journal points out, running the shuttles in a standard route would limit the potential for unexpected circumstances to pop up.

Ng also recommended to a US Senate committee that mobile apps be developed to boost communications with the self-driving vehicles. One example would include the ability for construction crews to recommend how to navigate around a road closure. Police officers would also have a way to communicate with an autonomous car's system when directing traffic. Self-driving cars can tackle a number of things, but there are instances where communication with the on-board system is still lacking.