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Yeah it's funny how human psychology works! We know the rational truth is that the AI drivers are millions of times less likely to run us over than human driver

Yeah it's funny how human psychology works! We know the rational truth is that the AI drivers are millions of times less likely to run us over than human drivers, but we still can't get rid of the image of evil robots going bezerk from Hollywood movies and the (extremely unlikely) possibility of a malfunction in the back of our minds!

simondw 5y ago
I think the problem is that (at least for now), we don't have good mental models of AI drivers and what their failure modes might be. Dangerous human drivers are likely to be consistently erratic (e.g., drunk), or distracted and oblivious in certain situations (bikes, intersections, lane changes). For all we know, an AI driver might drive perfectly for three hours, and then accelerate full speed onto the sidewalk.
bckr 5y ago
Uh... people have already been killed by autonomous cars. And they're very new. I don't think it's funny/weird at all that someone would be nervous about being in front of one, without an airbag.
- jeffbee 5y ago
  The fact that someone was killed by a car with an Uber computer on board does not mean that people have been killed by autonomous cars. It's easy to draw a bright line between realistic, responsible self-driving tech companies like Cruise and Waymo and the move-fast-kill-people shenanigans of Uber and Tesla. They are really two different categories.
  - bckr 5y ago
    Maybe for someone who is paying close attention, or even works in the industry, this distinction can be made. And that's valid for now. That a company has not had a major accident so far does not mean that I'm not going to be their first victim. I love the idea of self driving cars. But they are also really scary. They're being brought to us by the same industry that gave us * BSOD * "why the heck can't I share my screen right now? can you share your screen? yes? well why can't I share my screen?" * Your account has been terminated for breaking the terms and conditions. You cannot appeal this decision. We are now deleting 4TB of your life's work. * An attacker has gained access to your email account. Your life is now ruined. `But they're safer than human drivers!` So what. They're new, they're capable of killing you, they're brought to you by tech. They're f'n scary. Self-driving advocates will do well to acknowledge this rather than being dismissive.
    - jeffbee 5y ago
      It's easy to dismiss you because your arguments are nonsense. Uber's murder car was not autonomous. It was not capable of ever operating without a "safety driver". Therefore it was not an autonomous vehicle. Nor is any Tesla. Waymo has operated cars with zero humans aboard at various points going back quite a few years. They are legitimate autonomous vehicles.
HWR_14 5y ago
I'm not concerned about evil robots. A coordinated cyber attack? People intentionally exploiting bugs in perception? Errors in general? I think the risk of a malfunction is much higher with a robot than a sober human, and probably most legally intoxicated humans. I don't base it on Hollywood, but in years of programming experience. Anyway, did you hear about the 737 that crashed due to a software bug last month?
rootusrootus 5y ago
> We know the rational truth is that the AI drivers are millions of times less likely to run us over than human drivers Thank you for a textbook example of begging the question.
wolverine876 5y ago
> We know the rational truth is that the AI drivers are millions of times less likely to run us over than human drivers What is that based on? Do you mean the proportions of AI and human drivers?

simondw 5y ago

I think the problem is that (at least for now), we don't have good mental models of AI drivers and what their failure modes might be. Dangerous human drivers are likely to be consistently erratic (e.g., drunk), or distracted and oblivious in certain situations (bikes, intersections, lane changes). For all we know, an AI driver might drive perfectly for three hours, and then accelerate full speed onto the sidewalk.

bckr 5y ago

Uh... people have already been killed by autonomous cars. And they're very new. I don't think it's funny/weird at all that someone would be nervous about being in front of one, without an airbag.

jeffbee 5y ago
The fact that someone was killed by a car with an Uber computer on board does not mean that people have been killed by autonomous cars. It's easy to draw a bright line between realistic, responsible self-driving tech companies like Cruise and Waymo and the move-fast-kill-people shenanigans of Uber and Tesla. They are really two different categories.
- bckr 5y ago
  Maybe for someone who is paying close attention, or even works in the industry, this distinction can be made. And that's valid for now. That a company has not had a major accident so far does not mean that I'm not going to be their first victim. I love the idea of self driving cars. But they are also really scary. They're being brought to us by the same industry that gave us * BSOD * "why the heck can't I share my screen right now? can you share your screen? yes? well why can't I share my screen?" * Your account has been terminated for breaking the terms and conditions. You cannot appeal this decision. We are now deleting 4TB of your life's work. * An attacker has gained access to your email account. Your life is now ruined. `But they're safer than human drivers!` So what. They're new, they're capable of killing you, they're brought to you by tech. They're f'n scary. Self-driving advocates will do well to acknowledge this rather than being dismissive.
  - jeffbee 5y ago
    It's easy to dismiss you because your arguments are nonsense. Uber's murder car was not autonomous. It was not capable of ever operating without a "safety driver". Therefore it was not an autonomous vehicle. Nor is any Tesla. Waymo has operated cars with zero humans aboard at various points going back quite a few years. They are legitimate autonomous vehicles.

HWR_14 5y ago

I'm not concerned about evil robots. A coordinated cyber attack? People intentionally exploiting bugs in perception? Errors in general? I think the risk of a malfunction is much higher with a robot than a sober human, and probably most legally intoxicated humans. I don't base it on Hollywood, but in years of programming experience. Anyway, did you hear about the 737 that crashed due to a software bug last month?

rootusrootus 5y ago

> We know the rational truth is that the AI drivers are millions of times less likely to run us over than human drivers Thank you for a textbook example of begging the question.

wolverine876 5y ago

> We know the rational truth is that the AI drivers are millions of times less likely to run us over than human drivers What is that based on? Do you mean the proportions of AI and human drivers?