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If we replace autonomous cars with taxi drivers, we have the same agency problem...but it's not a question people consider troubling. > A taxi rounds a blind c
by solidsnack9000 11y ago
If we replace autonomous cars with taxi drivers, we have the same agency problem...but it's not a question people consider troubling.
> A taxi rounds a blind corner on to an inner city railway crossing. Half a car's length across the rails is a small child who's fallen off their tricycle. A steaming locomotive is barreling down the track. If the driver breaks in time, your vehicle will stop short of the child but be torn to bits as its shuttles down the tracks in front of the train. If they maintain speed, you'll just make it past the train -- but the child is not likely to survive.
- rogeryu 11y agoThere is one flaw in your reasoning: the taxi driver probably wishes to survive himself. Even if the front of the taxi, with the driver in it has passed the tracks, it will probably end badly for him as well.
- crististm 11y agoI was very surprised to find that at least Google car is programmed top _not enter_ a railway crossing unless it has clearance all the way to the other side.
- a_e_k 11y agoIsn't that just standard rules of the road/defensive driving practice, though? Certainly that's how I handled it back when I lived near a train crossing.
- crististm 11y agoI did not mention that the demo video was with a raised barrier crossing. It seemed strange to me because I allow for less clearance when the railway crossing has a raised barrier (I look at it as a normal crossing with green light). Google's AI was more conservative than I would have been in the same situation. When there are no barriers installed we're already talking about a different situation and all cars should stop and confirm there is no train approaching.
- foota 11y agoEven with barriers, you don't really have all the much time between when the barriers come down and when the train will cross the road. You don't want to be stuck waiting for the person ahead of you to go.
- crististm 11y agoI don't know about other places but where I live you can have up to several minutes between lowering barriers and train arriving. It's true that even this may not be sufficient in some circumstances.
- solidsnack9000 11y agoWhere can I read more about this aspect of the Google car's programming?
- crististm 11y agohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=bDOnn0-4Nq8#t=46 https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=bD...