There are a number of questions still remaining about self-driving cars. Are we generally willing to relinquish control in the same way pilots have become accustomed to relying on autopilot? And how do we account for moral judgements, such as what action to take in a potential crash?
That’s not going to be an issue in the future, according to Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Speaking at an NVIDIA technology conference he proposed that in the future, driven cars may be outlawed because they’re too dangerous, and that autonomous vehicles are largely a solved problem. While onboard infotainment systems may be hackable, Musk acknowledged that elements like the steering wheel and braking systems should be seperated and have human overrides if necessary.
It’s not a surprising view at the NVIDIA event, considering that the company has developed a platform for self-driving cars called Drive PX. And Tesla is aiming to be a leader in the self-driving car industry, against competition from the likes of Google, Audi, BMW and more.
As car fans, we enjoy driving and can still see upsides to other road users switching to self-driving cars. If everyone that simply sees a car as transport while they’re chatting on their mobile, applying make up or shaving switches to a self-driving car, things become safer and more predictable for those of us still in control.
But at the point where anyone is suggesting human driven cars should be outlawed due to the danger, that’s when we worry.
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