The “Self-Driving Car” is Only an Oxymoron

Daily Impact ^ | 03 August 2017 | Tom Lewis

[D-fendr]

The practical reason we want self driving cars is for them to be better drivers than us.

They are better calculating engines than us.

Some of the calculations involved in driving involve moral values. The calculating engine would have to assign these a quantity. I believe this is unavoidable in designing headless cars. You seem to disagree. That would put our discussion at an impasse. Thanks for your replies.

[discostu]

It does not involve moral values. Have you ever actually faces a trolley problem while driving? No of course not. The calculating engine does not need moral values, it needs to be better at paying attention than us and avoid the accident in the first place.

[Fresh Wind]

Watch the Tesla autopilot fail to avoid an accident, a situation that a human driver has no problem dealing with:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQkx-4pFjus

Pretty amazing!

I know exactly what your response will be.

But Tesla has no business deploying cars using that “autopilot” system, knowing that drivers will invariably ignore warnings and put too much trust in it.

[D-fendr]

I do get your position. I see it as: 5 million accidents plus untold avoided accidents per year and zero of these involve an ethical decision.

I understand your position, but I think it is an absurd one to take.

Thanks again for your discussion.

[precisionshootist]

Rest assured the "market" for "autonomous" cars is absolutely political in nature. Just as is the market for "electric" cars, ethanol, solar and wind power and on and on. The fact that tech companies and even car companies are working on something does NOT mean there is a market for such products. This will be proven real quick when people have a choice as to buy one or not. My bet is the self drive car will be about as popular as "smart cars" electric cars and other politically correct offerings.

People want 500HP big gas guzzling American muscle and $1.00 per gallon gas. The only reason that is not the only thing you see on the road and at the pumps today is left wing nanny state politics.

[discostu]

No it isn’t. There’s actually a demand for them. Old people who can’t drive anymore, people with long boring commutes, taxi companies (one of the companies doing the work is Uber). There IS a market for it, doesn’t matter how hard you decide to deny it, surveys are showing initial market penetration of around 10% and that’s just private.

Times have changed. People don’t want 500HP gas guzzling American muscle anymore. For one thing those cars all broke down constantly. And the rode like wagons. You’re living in the past, out here in the current self driving cars you don’t have to pay attention to so you can sleep, read, hang out on the internet or get laid are what people want.