Hackers or bugs in software can already kill you - a modern car is a computer with an engine attached. You think that pedal is any more advanced than a scroll m

Hackers or bugs in software can already kill you - a modern car is a computer with an engine attached. You think that pedal is any more advanced than a scroll mouse? Congress already passes laws controlling when, where and how you may travel and you may be effectively blacklisted today by insurance companies, courts or police officers for a range of reasons. Do you honestly think that you are entitled to roads wherever you want and your license can never be revoked and insurers can't charge what they want? Half of the total lifetime emissions of a car are in the driving of it. Autonomous vehicles open up the opportunity for an Uber-esque experience where you're less likely to buy a car and just rent it for when you need it: most people actively need a car for less than 10% of the total time that they own one for. That means significant environmental gains will come from lower demand for car manufacturing. How is that a problem? Sprawl "getting worse" is another way of saying housing becomes more affordable as it does not need to be so concentrated. City centres will become more comfortable, communities will become more connected. And finally, if there is one area that will cause a boon for investment by autonomous cars, it's mass transit: driverless buses, trams and trains, will all allow for more money to be spent on more vehicles and the net price of using these services will drop as the cost of employing, training and managing driving staff is reduced. We can go around and around on this: it's happening, come to peace with it, and try and make sure we maximise the positives and reduce the negatives. Note though, I did not counter the advertising thing. Tesla's T&Cs on their cars already suggest the owner does not really own the car. I think that's a problem. RMS in one of his more popular talks says he doesn't want software inside his microwave to Free because he would never want to modify it: I think a good argument can be made that if I buy a car that drives itself, I should be able to see and modify the source code.