I think the difference between autopilot and other safety innovations is that the failure state of autopilot is rather spectacular (maybe it's closest to seatbe

I think the difference between autopilot and other safety innovations is that the failure state of autopilot is rather spectacular (maybe it's closest to seatbelts/airbags in this regard). When it works, it's great. When it doesn't work and causes harm, it's easy to point to as a reason not to use it. A lot of the other car-safety innovations usually have a failure state where it doesn't put you in a worse off position that you normally would have been in, should that innovation not have existed (e.g., crumple zones, crash-safe interiors, highway design/signage, ABS, etc.). Reducing the absolute # of car deaths is always a good thing, and undoubtedly # of deaths saved by AutoPilot > # of deaths caused by AutoPilot, but looking at that comparison makes people worrisome, especially if you can picture yourself on the RHS of that equation. Personally I'm not sure where I stand. I do find it uncomfortable having ever-increasing levels of software complexity in my car.