Andrej Karpathy, former head of AI at Tesla and a founding engineer at OpenAI, has made a bold prediction about the future of urban life, suggesting that self-driving cars will fundamentally reshape cities. In a post on X, Karpathy said that while autonomous vehicles won’t become widespread overnight, they will eventually "terraform" outdoor spaces and transform daily life in ways not seen in decades. "Less parked cars. Less parking lots. Much greater safety for people in and out of cars. Less noise pollution. More space reclaimed for humans," Karpathy wrote, emphasizing the profound physical and social impact he expects from the robotaxi revolution. Karpathy, who helped pioneer Tesla’s Autopilot system before leaving in 2022, is also known for coining the term "vibe-coding," which was named Collins Dictionary’s 2025 "Word of the Year." He believes autonomous vehicles will free up drivers’ time and mental bandwidth currently spent on tasks like lane following, unlocking what he calls "attention capital." He also predicts that robotaxis will drastically reduce the cost and increase the speed of physical goods delivery, making logistics more efficient and accessible. His vision aligns with broader ambitions shared by other leaders in the autonomous vehicle space. At Tesla’s Cybercab unveiling in October, Elon Musk showcased conceptual renderings of future cities where parking lots are transformed into parks and public spaces—proof of the company’s long-term urban redesign goals. Musk has consistently framed Full Self-Driving (FSD) as a way to reclaim time for drivers, even suggesting that the ability to text while the car drives itself could be the key driver of adoption. However, such capabilities remain legally restricted in nearly all U.S. states, where texting while driving is prohibited. Despite this, Tesla is actively testing its robotaxi technology in Austin with safety monitors present and operating a ride-hailing service with drivers in San Francisco. Meanwhile, Waymo already offers fully driverless ride-hailing in five major U.S. cities. Both companies have expansive deployment plans but continue to face challenges due to inconsistent regulations across states, which govern autonomous vehicle operations with no unified federal framework. Still, Karpathy’s vision underscores a growing belief among AI and mobility experts: self-driving cars could be more than just a transportation upgrade—they may redefine how cities are built and lived in.