Self-driving cars could take fans from sport to sport at the '24 Games if the IOC awards the event to L.A., bid leaders said yesterday. "2024 is a long ways away, and with the rapid phase of development in all forms of technology, it’s certainly not just possible, but probable, that autonomous cars will be a meaningful part of daily life,” LA 2024 co-Chair Casey Wasserman said. “Certainly an event like the Olympics could be an incredible showcase for technology like that." The group’s preliminary bid from '15 mentioned self-driving cars in passing but officials would not elaborate. In yesterday's updated bid document, the group said it would create the “LA 2024 Innovation Network” that would re-imagine Games transportation with new technologies. In general, the California tech industry has told LA 2024 it wants to use the Games, should they go to L.A., as a proving ground and marketing tool, bid CEO Gene Sykes said. "You would be impressed to know the number of people -- technology leaders from all parts of California, honestly -- who have come to us, and said, ‘If you’re going to really do this, we want to play a role. We have some ideas, we’d love to help you with games presentation, help you with how the spectators experience the games,'” Sykes said. "What we’re hearing is just a groundswell of really interesting ideas."
