It has finally happened. Technology has either made a significant leap forward to aid mankind, or Skynet just came online. I learned this week about an Audi sedan that can drive around a racetrack faster than a regular guy. Sure, the robot was a little slower than the race car driver there to defend humanity’s honor, but the only thing faster than a race car driver is another race car driver. When the poor schmuck writing the article drove around the course it was a different story. The robot was much faster than the journalist, and not because the guy was there representing Better Housekeeping. This particular writer even has a racing license and a race car back home in the garage, and still the Audi driven by nobody was considerably faster around the course. Maybe it just confirmed why this guy is a professional writer and not a professional racer, but it begs the question, are humans being surpassed by machines?
Possibly, but I don’t think so. The end of the world will not be heralded by a two ton Audi sedan. The simple fact of the matter is that computers are much, much better at driving cars than people are. They are not stymied by fog, glare, fatigue, distractions, or even darkness. They don’t care that their latest tweet has been viewed 34,785 times, or that their hair needs tending, or that little Joey in the back just said his first word. A computer remains focused on the task at hand no matter what tantalizing distractions are presented. What truly separates computers from humans, besides the obvious squishy bits, is that they are only concerned with data. Even things like smell, sight and sound are reduced to a string of ones and zeroes. That is why, when the data has been properly fed into the German sedan in question (by a person, incidentally) it is able to analyze the data better than the average human performing the same task. As a result, it takes a specially trained human race car driver, who has chosen to forgo things like personality, tact, or wit, to outperform the robot.
The conclusion seems simple, then. Ride in the back seat and let Apple take the wheel, but I don't see anybody lining up to buy robot cars. And not just because the Google car looks so stupid. The same is true with air travel. The simple fact of the matter is that most flights today are made by computer, the pilot is there for PR and in case of computer failure. But the computer never fails, while human pilots seem to stick aircraft in the ocean daily. The main reason there is a pilot in the cockpit is because nobody would board a plane with no pilot.
Even though more than 90% of all automobile accidents are caused by human error, nobody is comfortable riding in a car without a driver. In fact, the robot race car had a human behind the wheel, just in case something went wrong. The idea of a two ton vehicle traveling in traffic at 70MPH with nobody in control makes most people nervous, but it's not because we don't mind automated things. The only reason we have any problem with autonomous automobiles is because driving is a social task the general population is comfortable performing. If something goes wrong, a human will evaluate the situation and react in a way that prevents injury to other human beings. But the truth is the average driver is terrible at reacting properly in a crisis, while computers don't get all flustered and forget to counter-steer. All new vehicles sold in America come with antilock brakes, stability control, and advanced tires, allowing computers to control as much as possible without actually driving the car. Some new cars apply brakes and steer for you in case of an emergency, but you can still drive these cars into a lake if you wish. Even with advanced technology fatal traffic accidents happen all the time, overwhelmingly due to an oversight by the driver of the vehicle and not due to some failure of hardware or software. If we are truly concerned with robots performing tasks that may place people in danger, then no power plant, manufacturing facility, hospital, national defense agency, or space ship could exist. Computers keep people alive and safe constantly, both directly and indirectly. I welcome the coming digital chauffeur.
Why would I, a person who finds a simple automatic transmission repugnant, support the idea of autonomous vehicles? Because people drive like crap. They are more concerned with anything than driving. I spend hours every day witnessing willful ignorance and waste that could be avoided simply by replacing the mouth breather behind the wheel with a computer. Traffic jams would end, pollution would be reduced dramatically, and people would be much happier. I am not diluted enough to suggest the only thing standing between mankind and utopia is a Google car, but removing the stress of the daily commute from people's lives would have to help, right?
Of course there are already self driving cars out there, they are called taxis and buses. The problem is that arriving at your destination in a taxi or bus does not impress anyone, while arriving in an Audi does. As long as nobody arrives in a Maserati while you are standing beside your little German sedan, you can maintain an air of quiet superiority. But the Maserati will probably not crank when it is time to leave the house, so that guy will be in a taxi, saving you the embarrassment of having the less impressive car.
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