Hey everyone.
I just really wanted to share my own thoughts on why they might be calling Autopilot a "beta" product.
First, I don't really put a lot of weight on it to begin with. Some think a beta shouldn't be released to the public, but who's to say what is beta and what is not? It's quite possible other features from other automakers have released beta products and just didn't label it beta. It's also highly likely that Tesla thought Autopilot was ready for the public despite labeling it beta, as otherwise they probably wouldn't have released it.
So why did they call it beta? Here's my theory. Tesla Autopilot is a system that was designed to utilize fleet learning knowledge for maximum effect. The system isn't fully as effective as it could be until it has a solid amount of fleet learning knowledge. However, it can't obtain that knowledge until it is released to the public so that it can actually collect fleet data. Therefore, it was called a beta. Once enough fleet learning has happened, and yes there will likely be other refinements along the way, then the beta label will be dropped.
Anyway, just another armchair theory, but nevertheless, I wanted to share. If you have your own theories you want to share, feel free to share here.
I just really wanted to share my own thoughts on why they might be calling Autopilot a "beta" product.
First, I don't really put a lot of weight on it to begin with. Some think a beta shouldn't be released to the public, but who's to say what is beta and what is not? It's quite possible other features from other automakers have released beta products and just didn't label it beta. It's also highly likely that Tesla thought Autopilot was ready for the public despite labeling it beta, as otherwise they probably wouldn't have released it.
So why did they call it beta? Here's my theory. Tesla Autopilot is a system that was designed to utilize fleet learning knowledge for maximum effect. The system isn't fully as effective as it could be until it has a solid amount of fleet learning knowledge. However, it can't obtain that knowledge until it is released to the public so that it can actually collect fleet data. Therefore, it was called a beta. Once enough fleet learning has happened, and yes there will likely be other refinements along the way, then the beta label will be dropped.
Anyway, just another armchair theory, but nevertheless, I wanted to share. If you have your own theories you want to share, feel free to share here.
