This is something that’s been on my mind ever since I saw the first clips being posted on YouTube of people setting their brand new Tesla cars to Autopilot on the freeway with their hands off the wheel and their feet off the pedals. There’s absolutely no doubt that these cars are able to detect things that humans can’t. Whether we like it or not, technology is not so slowly making humans redundant in just about any task that doesn’t require human decision making. Don’t get me wrong, I think that Tesla is easily the coolest companies on the planet right now, but when did driving become something that doesn’t require human input? I’m not sure how I feel about that! Am I being a control freak, or do I have a point?
Self Driving Cars open up a can of moral worms. For example, in the event of an unavoidable accident does the car protect the occupants at all costs, ignoring the bus shelter full of school kids? How is that programmed? Is that something you consider when you trust a computer with your life?
What about more common driver aids like Automatic Braking, Blind Spot Indicator, Lane Deviation Warning and Correction, etc? Do they make us safer on the roads, or do they just make us lazy and less attuned to the task of driving, and where do you draw the line?
Over to you. Let me know in the comments below….
