Auto-

“Auto-” presents the prehistories and possible futures of automobilization as a means for investigating automation, autonomy, automaticity, and autonomous vehicles. As a prefix, “auto” presents a paradox. It typically means self, but the legacy of the term is rife with both system contingencies and interdependencies.The automotive paradigm presents an ideal metaphor for parsing the evolution of automation and its critical pivot to planetary scale. This article explores the pathologies that inform platform automation and the potential for a future automobility that centers environments rather than devices in its design.