Re:This is not true AI (Score 1)

At least one team (Stanford) is using learning algorithms. Most (all?) the vehicles sense the environment and build some sort of model of it - in other words they learn about the environment as they go, and they make decisions based on what they learn. Machine learning and other AI techniques can be used in the creation of the control software, even when machine learning is not being done during the race. In short, don't assume that understanding is not being advanced just because yours is not.