We’ve talked a lot about the ethical and programming problems currently facing those designing self driving cars. Some are less complicated, such as how to program cars to bend the rules slightly and be more more human like. Others get more complex, including whether or not cars should be programmed to kill the occupant — if it means saving a school bus full of children (aka the trolley problem). And once automated cars are commonplace, can law enforcement have access to the car’s code to automatically pull a driver over? There’s an ocean of questions we’re not really ready to answer.
But as we accelerate down the evolutionary highway of self-driving technology, the biggest question of all becomes: who gets to control this code? Will the automotive update process be transparent? Will the driver retain the ability to modify their car’s code? Will automakers adapt and stop implementing the kind of paper mache level security that has resulted in the endless parade of stories about hacked automobiles it takes five years for automakers to patch?
Trying to force the issue before there’s a hacker-induced automotive mass fatality, Ford, GM and Toyota were hit by a class action lawsuit earlier this year claiming the car companies were failing to adequately disclose the problems caused my abysmal auto security:
“Among other things, the lawsuit alleges Toyota, Ford and GM concealed or suppressed material facts concerning the safety, quality and functionality of vehicles equipped with these systems. It charges the companies with fraud, false advertising and violation of consumer protections statutes. Stanley continued, “We shouldn’t need to wait for a hacker or terrorist to prove exactly how dangerous this is before requiring car makers to fix the defect. Just as Honda has been forced to recall cars to repair potentially deadly airbags, Toyota, Ford and GM should be required to recall cars with these dangerous electronic systems.”
This month a court ruled that yes, we will have to probably wait for someone to die before automakers are held liable for lagging automotive security. The case was ultimately dismissed(pdf), the court ruling that the plaintiffs have yet to prove sufficiently concrete harms, and that potential damage (to the driver and to others) remains speculative. At the pace self-driving and smart car technology is advancing, one gets the sneaking suspicion we won’t have long to wait before harms become notably more concrete.
But however complicated these legal, ethical, and technical questions are, they become immeasurably more complicated once you realize that smart cars will ultimately form the backbone of the smart cities of tomorrow, working in concert with city infrastructure to build a living urban organism designed to be as efficient as mathematically possible. As Cory Doctorow noted last week, this makes ensuring code transparency and consumer power more important than ever:
“The major attraction of autonomous vehicles for city planners is the possibility that they’ll reduce the number of cars on the road, by changing the norm from private ownership to a kind of driverless Uber. Uber can even be seen as a dry-run for autonomous, ever-circling, point-to-point fleet vehicles in which humans stand in for the robots to come – just as globalism and competition paved the way for exploitative overseas labour arrangements that in turn led to greater automation and the elimination of workers from many industrial processes.
The Latest on: Self-driving cars
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The Latest on: Self-driving cars
- What I Learned From Watching The World's First Self-Driving Motor Raceon April 29, 2024 at 5:31 pm
The world's first driverless race proved to me that autonomous cars are still nowhere near ready. Race demonstrated that self-driving cars still can't compete with human drivers due to basic logic errors and performance issues.
- FirstFT: Apple poaches Google AI experts and builds secretive Zurich labon April 29, 2024 at 3:16 pm
Then £59 per month. Complete digital access to quality FT journalism on any device. Cancel anytime during your trial.
- Some Mercedes Self-Driving Cars Won't Require You to Even Watch the Roadon April 29, 2024 at 9:43 am
The cars are only available in California and Nevada and will only autonomously drive under certain circumstances.
- Future Self-Driving EVs Must Plug Themselves In. How Will They?on April 29, 2024 at 7:56 am
Cars that go charge themselves are the ideal, and also a solution for the power grid, plugging themselves in when solar power is surplus and cheap
- Self-Driving Formula 1 Car Crashes Into Wall at First Autonomous Race Eventon April 29, 2024 at 7:08 am
Abu Dhabi's Autonomous Racing League was off to a rough start over the weekend. The Foruma 1-style race, the first of its kind, saw its fair share of blunders and crashes, as The Verge reports, with driverless racing cars spinning helplessly,
- From Self-Driving Cars to Electric Vehicles: The Latest in Automotive Innovationon April 29, 2024 at 4:53 am
Buckle up, because the automotive industry is revving up with groundbreaking innovation! From self-driving cars to electric vehicles, the future of transportation is here. Join us as we take a closer look at the latest advancements that are reshaping the way we drive and experience the open road.
- Tesla jumps 8% in premarket trade after passing key hurdle to roll out full self-driving in Chinaon April 29, 2024 at 2:18 am
Shares of Tesla rose sharply in U.S. premarket trading after the company passed a significant milestone to roll out its full self-driving technology in China.
via Bing News