SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
Last Tuesday, Google unveiled a proper self-driving car, with no steering wheel, no brakes, no pedals. Google expects these no-hands-on-wheel cars to hit the roads in 2017 and it is up to us to craft the laws and policies that will govern their use. Such decisions cannot be left for tomorrow. As Google's working prototype reveals, the robocars of the future are here. And because people have a long history of projecting personal freedom and autonomy onto automobiles, they will have an innate understanding of the stakes.
This essay at Wired suggests that we have had a communication problem in convincing mainstream society of the dangers of pervasive surveillance. The author makes a case that the car metaphor made literal is the way American society will finally come to grips with the issue in a visceral, understand-it-in-your-gut way.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by juggs on Tuesday June 03 2014, @04:35AM
No. The insurance and motor manufacturing industries will use their lobbying and campaign funding to ensure things unfold as they wish.
TFA has it right - people on the whole are either ignorant or complacent about what is going on in this sphere. I don't see self-driving cars changing that however. They will be marketed as "own a self driving car today - your insurance premiums will fall, you will have more free time, read the paper or play games on your device during your commute - life will be magical". No doubt with idealised pictures of a family with 2.1 kids and a Labrador.
It's too late, the avalanche has commenced, there is no point trying to stand in the way of an avalanche trying to kick it back up-hill. That's only going to end one way.... badly.
These systems will be reversed, they will be subverted to submit bogus data back to their masters whereby we all drive in tiny circles at 1 MPH under the speed limit for 18 minutes a day before parking on Mars for a few hours, yet the odometer count is only 10 miles.
Of course those that do such things could become persons of interest by such activity - I would hope, in the USA at least, legislation against meddling with one's own hardware would cause a pitchfork and burning tar revolution. You guys seem to be hot on that thar freedom stuff.
Shame most motor sales are now moving to the leasing model / bubble payment finance etc. Strange how these things all tie in.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 03 2014, @04:53PM
I cannot imagine that an image of a fractional kid, no matter how idealized, would increase the sale of self-driving cars. :-)
(Score: 2) by edIII on Tuesday June 03 2014, @06:15PM
I just won't have a car anymore.
In fact, the moment they appear, I WILL NOT have a car anymore. One of my reservations about owning a motorcycle, or a bicycle is that traffic is too dangerous and people are morons.
When most of the cars are on full auto, I will be on my bicycle and it should be a lot safer at that point. No more people running red lights and ignoring stop signs. It practically eliminates road rage. Those buttheads will be too busy yelling at people on the Internet during their commutes.
The one thing I know for certain is that it will be much harder to restrict my freedom of movement and track me when I'm one of the few people without all the tracking devices, car included.
Technically, lunchtime is at any moment. It's just a wave function.
(Score: 2) by Taibhsear on Wednesday June 04 2014, @03:48PM
Except for the bicyclists, of course.