The computers are quite capable.
The field work, and programming are the issue.
The MCAS system on the Boeing super max was programmed wrong.
Its not the programming... its the PROBLEM...
I am a software engineer, and I know many people working in the autonomous driving industry at a lot of different companies, and the reality is, ITS DECADES AWAY....
The list of “problems” involved in autonomous driving on an interstate, let alone the city, that folks have ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA HOW TO SOLVE, is endless.
Autonomous Vehicles are an 80-20/90-10 problem. Yes its come a long way in the last 25 years... but thats only been 80-90% of the problem... but that only represents about 10-20% of the actual problem, and the amount of effort to solve the last 10-20% of the problem is going to take 80-90% of the overall effort.
AI/Machine Learning isn’t up to the task. People think there is some sort of super tech in this and it will miraculously solve everything.. and while it has great potential, it is NOT a miracle. The machine simply comes up with a probability based on its training as to WHAT something is. It cannot and does not infer or logically solve anything. If the algorithm says the woman walking across the street with her bicycle isn’t something to worry about. or can’t really decide.. then boom... woman is run over, even though every other human controlled vehicle on the road avoids her.
If the computer says the semi crossing the highway at the top of the hill ahead of you is an overhead sign... then you get decapitated at 70 miles an hour as the brilliant computer decides it can drive right under it.
Simply driving a semi on the interstate is far simpler than driving city driving, no cross traffic, everyone traveling the same direction, only need to get on and get off and change lanes safely and not rear end anyone... and yet there isn’t a single certified autonomous truck on the road.. Why? BECAUSE THEY HAVEN’T AND CAN’T SOLVE THE SUBSET OF PROBLEMS THAT EXIST IN THIS MUCH SIMPLER USE CASE... Autonomous vehicles on city streets are death traps...They are NOT remotely safe, and its honestly a miracle so few people have been killed by or in them so far.
This tech is DECADES away...
Now, with that said. UBER’s other problem is, even once they have autonomous vehicles, their entire first mover advantage disappears almost instantly as their entire business is now a commodity....
Throwing money at UBER other than to flip it to a bigger fool short term, is a fools errand long term.