They always say self-driving cars are safer, but the way they prove it feels kind of dishonest. They compare crash data from all human drivers, including people who are distracted, drunk, tired, or just reckless, to self-driving cars that have top-tier sensors and operate only in very controlled areas, like parts of Phoenix or San Francisco. These cars do not drive in snow, heavy rain, or complex rural roads. They are pampered.
If you actually compared them to experienced, focused human drivers, the kind who follow traffic rules and pay attention, the safety gap would not look nearly as big. In fact, it might even be the other way around.
And nobody talks about the dumb mistakes these systems make. Like stopping dead in traffic because of a plastic bag, or swerving for no reason, or not understanding basic hand signals from a cop. An alert human would never do those things. These are not rare edge cases. They happen often enough to be concerning.
Calling this tech safer right now feels premature. It is like saying a robot that walks perfectly on flat ground is better at hiking than a trained mountaineer, just because it has not fallen yet.
This whole comparing AI to only the best and brightest humans at their absolute pinnacle is so tiring.
Humans are stupid, they’re aggressive, they’re ignorant, they’re inattentive - so comparing only to the educated, civilized bits is just selective bias. Humans are wrong. Humans are bad drivers constantly. They think Vaccines cause 5G and that being gay is transmissible.
Fuck Humans.
Why not see both as the stupid thing that they are?
Because there are different “types” of AI, and some of them are genuinely impressive. I don’t see AI as inherently stupid; I see that the way it’s being implemented and abused as stupid.
Kinda the same way I see humans. MOST of them are pieces of trash, but there are some diamonds in the rough among them that are absolute treasures to be around.
I would agree with that, except I don’t want my electricity bill to go 50%+ for the same service and no choice of my own. That is the definition of stupid.
The problem is
Humans are not only bad drivers But they will have a difficult time accepting that ai is better, until it’s overwhelmingly better. Even then people will blame ai for inevitable accidents and claim “I could have done better”
Fuck humans? Fuck human nature
Fine. I propose a new law. Self-driving cars will only be allowed on the road if their manufacturers accept total legal liability for any damage caused by them. Humans aren’t supposed to be operating these vehicles, thus all liability should fall on the companies that make them. This would be a very effective way of cutting through AI bullshit. It’s easy to game numbers and make your product look safer than it is. And companies lie to their customers all the time. But if we make manufacturers fully liable for any accidents caused by their self-driving vehicles, then they will only release those vehicles when they actually are far safer than human drivers.
The auto insurance industry should be made a thing of the past. If self-driving cars really are that safe, then the manufacturers can afford to cut a check whenever one of those fluke rare accidents really does happen.
Until a manufacturer is willing to do this, don’t believe a damn word they say about the safety of their cars.
They have to accept the liability- it’s unreasonable for liability to continue being on the driver if they’re not driving.