Several car companies are trying to develop autonomous driving technologies. I'm just interested in, if people would use these technique if it would exist.

 

1 good hack and everybody drives into walls, no thanks. I will pass.

 

Nice idea but in a few generations of that and I wonder how many will actually remember how to drive. Driving MT is reserved nowadays for professionals and sentimental kids like me.

 

But... what about car insurance?

 

I have a bit of driving anxiety so yes.

 

I recently attended a talk concerning this issue. Problems with driverless vehicles:

• Faced with a decision to go one way and run over one child or go the other way and run over five adults, the vehicle or the AI/IoT (Artificial Intelligence/Internet of Things) algorithm governing ("driving") the vehicle would have to make the decision between the two, unless the driver were able to grab the controls and override them to make a "humanly ethical" decision (and thereby take ethical responsibility for the decision). The Tesla car, however, is programmed to do whatever is necessary to protect the driver in such a situation.

• The IoT system could be hacked to cause accidents or re-routing of vehicles, lock passengers in or out of vehicles, blare Taylor Swift at maximum volume, or other misfortunate things involving the electronic functions of the vehicle.

• The deprecation/obsolescence of conventional (manned) vehicles in about 20 years' time due to adoption by younger drivers and ubiquitous normification of driverless roadways.

• Conflict between actions and volition between human and AI drivers.

The driverless Benz looks like cool expensive geek-toy, however:

 

I heard this the other day: what's the biggest single occupation in USA?

Driver.

SFAIK it's the best paid low skill job. Little wonder it's next in line for automation. That's the real agenda, surely?

Personally I don't believe autonomous cars will be with us in a hurry. Hopes for AI have always been overblown and as a field its successes are minimal. We won't have driverless cars in a long time. Think of the problems with insurance and liability in accidents? It's not gonna happen. It's just more overly optimistic BS from the tech sector.

The other day I heard someone speaking enthusiastically about an intelligent home, that can recognise when you have had a bad day and will automatically pour a glass of wine from the fridge for you.

Yeah, yeah, sounds fancy? But who in hell is refilling the wine? Who is keeping the automated fridge working, mechanically and in software terms etc? As if I want to do all that instead of just putting wine in the fridge and getting it myself as and when I want it? What a joke.

Most of this stuff is utter BS imo. Tech bods always oversell their shite. AI? Nonsense.

 

Ha what about antonymous beat making machine of the future. till the drum machine to make a club banner in 2 seconds, boom you're rich just like Bill Gates the riches man in the world…

Or a but cleaning machine, take a big stinky one then the antonymous but wiping machine will wipe your bottom with out asking it to.

Yes man the world of antonymous is at our door steps, closer and closer each day, be very careful what you ask for as not al presents are user friendly..

 

It is not a question of "if". You will [have to] use it.

It is impossible for 7 billion of people and growing to use personal motorised transport. Just think about it. It already feels pretty stupid to drive a car when all the bikers are bypassing you. Don't you get it? Personal transport is only useful when it gets you from the point A to B in a shorter amount of time than other means of transport. At this day and age the fastest transport in the city is either bike or public transport. Just about anything other than a car.

I will gladly use it, because an autonomous driving car will certainly be faster with all the stupid human drivers out of the equation. But I will still prefer a good old bike. No pollution, great for my health, and it's so much more fun!

 

You must be talking about human traffic? Just look at it how people drive and behave. You think that's alright?

The main problem with driverless cars is... wait... humans!

 

Really? People know how to drive? Are you sure? People only cause traffic accidents because they drive in unpredictable manner. Nobody should be allowed to drive, actually. A computer controlled traffic will be 100% safe and absolutely perfect. Don't make me pull out the traffic accidents statistics... I can't wait for this to happen. Traffic accidents will become history.

 

Last edited: Jan 7, 2017

I don't like the implications of centralized control of human movement. The technology itself I welcome, but only as long as I can still drive the car myself autonomously without being tracked. Self-driving cars are also part of the plan to tax everyone by the km for carbon emissions, which will be by far the biggest cash cow scam in history. Perhaps in an actual democratic republic this could work. But as it stands right now, I don't see this as a good idea. Not to mention how many jobs will be lost. All of this is part of a bigger plan for human disenfranchisement, the creation of a neofeudalist system where the corporations are in control of our lives, and we are merely renters in their playground. They set the rules, and if we break them, we are basically kicked out of society with no means to independently sustain ourselves. Eventually, humans will become obsolete, and there will be no way to establish a functioning, decentralized economy. This would basically result in communism on steroids, and we all know how well that works out. There would be central planning around every aspect of our lives, because we no longer have any value to offer as compared to machines. Mass depopulation would be a likely end, because the rulers (or ruling computers) would see no more utility in keeping us around. Such a future terrifies me, and I see it happening all around me, slowly but surely. Instead of creating a human world, where technology is a means to an end, technology will be the end.

So all in all, it would be a great idea in a perfect world. Unfortunately, we in the West live in a fascist economic dictatorship, and loss of liberty is a zero-sum game. The more we surrender our autonomy, the harder it is going to be to get it back when we need it. So I am going to hang on to a good, old fashioned steering wheel. Besides, driving is a form of self-actualization. It can be a good way to wind down and distract yourself from everything going on, just keep your eyes on the road.

 

Last edited: Jan 7, 2017

Yes...Of course the man factor in traffic crashes is the human one. But thats not the question! I just wanna know if you would feel comfortable and safe in a self driving car!?

 

Absolutely comfortable, if the technology would be flawless.

But as always, there is a catch...
- A lot of people are working as drivers ...now imagine all of them without a job... hmmm...

EDIT:
ah, G String just mentioned that a few posts above...

 

nobody mentioned that getting an organ transplant will get harder and harder, since no crashes = no donors!

 

True.
If completely autonomous let's also assume there will be some sort of identification system. Which means:
no more high-speed chases / street-racing / chicken
no outstanding warrants / getaway cars / gta
no vehicular abductions / hitchhiking?
no hydraulics / no noise and air pollution
no hot-boxing (unless it's legal)
no in-public car sex (unless it's legal with tint)

That'll make the world a better place and make Hollywood work for it's money.

 

As a blind person who constantly has to rely on other peoples schedules to get anywhere and do something as basic as quickly going to the shops or other things many take for granted thanks to their ability to drive, this would be amazing!

 

The car should remain stationary, the roads must roll! One of my first Heinlein science fiction reads and what hooked me to the genre when I was 12 years old. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Roads_Must_Roll

 

I love my good old steering wheel and manual gear lever and will never put my fate in a gps. Too much automation makes people stupid and paralyzed.

Just MHO!

 

Personally I'd feel much safer on the road if cars won't be driven by people.