here's an excerpt from that link above:
EM: "Yeah, I'm not too familiar with what the various (31:01) levels mean, but I can tell you just what it will translate to in the initial Autopilot. The – we don't want to set the expectation that it's – that you can just basically pay no attention to what the car is doing, we do want to set the expectation that it's much like the Autopilot in a plane where you turn the Autopilot on in a plane but there's still some expectation that the pilot will pay attention to what the plane is doing and weren't sort of go to sleep or disappear from the cockpit. So we do want to set that expectation with consumers."
there's always been the argument/analogy that Tesla's autopilot is like an airplane's autopilot. He's on the record for saying this... right there in that transcript... and even stating: "So we do want to set that expectation with consumers"... But it's well known that flight crews do NOT keep their hands on the "wheel" while under autopilot.
so how the hell was the death of that guy in Florida NOT at least somewhat the responsibility of Tesla?... because he was told to leave his hands on the wheel?... I agree... he probably was... in the legal version of the story... but he was also told the Tesla marketing version of the story by Elon himself.
I sense more anger than point.
We do a lot of things as humans that defy logic. I enlisted in the army during the Vietnam war knowing full well I could die never having been laid ~ period. If I had died, should I have blamed you my fellow citizen? What about the guy that waited out the draft and his number never came up, or the coward that joined the reserves (during Vietnam no reserves were called up because during the Korean conflict the reserves were a joke and died proving it), or maybe the coward that had the balls to tell me a couple of years back that he used a chemical to increase his bood pressure (he was a pharmacist college student at the time) to avoid the draft. No, I signed up, my dad was silently pissed (afraid I would die), I knew I was a very good shot, I knew I would wake up at the slittiest sound, I believed it was my obligation (I do not shirk my responsibilities), and I needed the GI Bill to get thru college. Mom told me they were only paying for my sisters college since I was a boy and my sister needed a college degree to find a husband. What the. . .
Even if the driver was insane, he/she is still responsible for their decision(s). How do we know it was not deliberate on his part? When you sit in a car, buckle up, and you start the vehicle you are telling me you are intelligent enough, aware enough, and responsible enough (that's where insurance comes in) to drive a go cart, a BMW, a Lambigini or you name it.
Our MX got an update last night! Please note that even ten years from now I will be watching autopilot with my hands on the wheel, assuming I still have this MX and rely on updates to ensure my safety. I lived through the service without any safety related deaths. Truthfully, I came close a couple of times but it was my carelessness and not someone else's fault because I got caught up in the moment, nor was it due to equipment failure.
Just for the record, my son died in a ICE car fire '96. As of last year he has been gone longer than we enjoyed his life. While he was not the driver, he knew or should have known his girlfriend was under the influence; she took his life and two other boys that night. We did not sue, but we asked the judge to ensure part of her sentence included addiction recovery counseling and further education. This was not a get rich scheme on our part, we lost a love of our life. From time to time my wife and I try to out responsibility each other claiming it was more our (my fault vs her) fault and trying to pinpoint where we went wrong rather than blaming someone else. After all I was the soldier, not home a lot, very by the book, and stressed during his short life.
Are self driving cars the future ~ yes. How we get there is the question. Elon is on the cutting/bloody edge of technology and has a strong successful background pushing us as a society forward. God knows we have too damned many people pushing us backwards. Right now sadly one person has lost their life in the quest to achieve autonomous driving, and I hope that is the last, but the odds may not be so kind. Keep the care at or about the speed limit for the road, weather conditions, and be alert with your hands on the wheel at all times ~ anything new there over the last hundred years? Good, have a fun day driving your Tesla todayor other poor excuse of driving excellence
Can self driving fail ~ that is always a concern.
Will Elon/Tesla fail? If they fail, then I am doubtful anyone else will succeed for many years to come. Why? Look at who killed the electric car. If we as a society really, really, really do not want to succeed, we will fail. I for one want to succeed
My whole life has been bent on succeeding
What's in your life?
