Tesla just recently announced that's all of their models will have a full self-driving capability. Other cars and EV makers have followed suit. A public bus was recently launched in Thailand and Singapore. Now this poses a question, are self-driving vehicles really the way to go?
The "Artificial Intelligence" incorporated into these self-driving systems were created through algorithms. These algorithms aren't that new and already existent in our daily lives. It's the one that detects your recent searches through a famous search engine, which triggers relevant online advertisements to appear. It is also the one that detects your online activities on that popular Social Media website, that suggests friends or people that you may know of.
In layman's terms algorithms are a mathematical or formula representation of a process, usually with a defined end, answer or result. As How To Geek would put it, "algorithms are mathematical tools which provide a variety of uses." "They work to provide a path between a start point and end point in a consistent way, and provide the instructions to follow it."
This algorithm is based on anticipated experiences and scenarios programmed into it. But what happens then if it encounters an unpredicted, or in this case a scenario that wasn't programmed into it? There have been two infamous "Autopilot" related car incidents recently that garnered global attention. The first one resulted in a fatality in Williston FL. The other happened in Germany, brought only minor injuries. This resulted in stern warnings about the "Autopilot" where it happened.
The first incident happened when the Tesla S model the victim was riding, was engaged on "Autopilot" mode. The car's program failed to detect a white tractor during a sunny day in Florida. The victim Joshua Brown died upon impact on May 7, 2016.
The second case happened in Germany. The "Autopilot" was also activated while the car was in transit, as it collided with a Danish tour bus. It was reported that the bus abruptly overtook the Tesla. The system again failed to recognize the immediate shift of nearby vehicles. A video embedded here on the article showcase Todd Burch's "Autopilot" experience. He stresses a couple of times when and which circumstance should a driver still hold the steering.
There is only little of what humans can predict compared to what is yet to be. There is definitely no program created yet to react as quick as the human impulse nor a device that could match human instincts. Fully self-driving or not it still should be ALL hands on the wheel.
See Now: OnePlus 6: How Different Will It Be From OnePlus 5?
