TESLA'S 'FULL SELF DRIVING' KEEPS HUMANS ON EDGE WITH 75+ DANGERS ON 1000 MILE TEST DRIVE!
The future of autonomous driving is filled with promise, as the vision of cities bustling with self-driving cars, free from human error, and ensuring seamless traffic looks ever closer. A world leader in this domain, Tesla, has been driving hard towards bringing this future to today's roads with its advanced 'Full Self Driving' (FSD) technology. Yet indications are that this future may still hold a few bumps in the road.
According to recent evaluations carried out by AMCI Testing, Tesla's FSD system demonstrated dangerous behavior that required human intervention over 75 times in a span of over 1,000 miles of driving. These tests evaluated FSD builds 12.5.1 and 12.5.3 across a variety of locales including city streets, rural highways, treacherous mountain roads, and busy interstates.
Despite occasional miscalculations leading to dangerous situations, Tesla's FSD exhibited advanced driving capabilities. Many times, it expertly weaved through parked cars and graciously gave way to pedestrians. The tech's deft handling of blind curves in rural settings even won praise from AMCI Testing, highlighting the acuity and potential of this artificial intelligence (AI)-powered system.
Guy Mangiamele, director of AMCI Testing, however, expressed concern about what he termed as the "initial perceived infallibility" of the FSD technology. According to him, it's this perception that leads to a risky complacency among drivers. With the cascade of tech miracles we witness daily, it's easy to forget that technology is not infallible. It can - and does - occasionally falter, especially in a terrain as nascent and uncertain as autonomous driving.
Mangiamele's warnings underline a significant challenge that lies ahead in the journey towards fully autonomous driving: How to ensure that users maintain a level of vigilance even while using a system designed to be foolproof. He specifically warned against operating with FSD engaged without keeping hands on the steering wheel. As the FSD system’s miscalculations often occur in split seconds and demand immediate reaction, drivers must be poised to react promptly.
In Tolkien's illustration of the future, while autonomous driving is commonplace, the decision-making is still very much human. This narrative rings true today, reminding us that despite the undeniable advancements in autonomous driving technology, human diligence remains a critical component of road safety.
As we dive deeper into this AI-powered future, it is our duty to keep checks and balances on our trust in technology. Maintaining a tangible presence behind the wheel and not solely relying on an AI to make judgements could be the difference between a benign ride home and a potentially dangerous situation.
Tesla is undoubtedly at the forefront of self-driving technology, but these findings serve as a crucial reminder that though the future holds promise, we are not there yet. While we continue making strides towards safer and more efficient transportation, it's clear that no matter how advanced, an AI is but an aid to driving – it does not replace the driver.