The San Francisco Paradox: Blazing Technological Speed and Urban Weightlessness

Source Domain: eu.36kr.com

If we only look at AI technology, San Francisco might be one of the cities closest to the future in the world at present.

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This is the most symbolic origin of generative AI. The headquarters of OpenAI and Anthropic are both located in downtown San Francisco, and it only takes about ten minutes to drive between them.

OpenAI’s San Francisco office

Other AI software companies also demonstrate their undeniable presence through huge wall advertisements, towering billboards by the road, and even aerial banners.

An AI agent company called Artisan chose to use a small plane to tow the slogan “Stop Hiring Humans” over San Francisco from time to time. This startup founded in 2023 currently has a core product of virtual specialists that can independently complete the entire process of specific positions such as sales and marketing.

In the same area, there is also the densest Robotaxi fleet in the world. Waymo has currently deployed more than 800 robotaxis in San Francisco and the Bay Area. These driverless cars with rotating lidars have become a common means of transportation on the streets of San Francisco.

Meanwhile, the Robotaxis of Tesla and Amazon are accelerating their occupation of the roads in San Francisco. In front of the famous Citylights Bookstore in the urban area, a reporter once saw local media filming Amazon’s Zoox, indicating its continuous testing and exposure in the core area of the city. Tesla has not yet achieved the “one-step” goal presented by the Cybercab. Instead, it is making a preliminary attempt on real roads by modifying Model Y and equipping safety drivers.

Amazon Zoox

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However, if we shift our focus from technology to the city itself, the picture takes a sharp turn. The central business district of San Francisco looks a bit desolate, with a high vacancy rate of shops and a low footfall that hardly matches the level of a city of this size.

The statistical data also matches this perception. A report from real estate consulting firm CBRE…

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