A representative for Tesla sent Ars the following statement: “Today’s verdict is wrong and only works to set back automotive safety and jeopardize Tesla’s and the entire industry’s efforts to develop and implement life-saving technology. We plan to appeal given the substantial errors of law and irregularities at trial. Even though this jury found that the driver was overwhelmingly responsible for this tragic accident in 2019, the evidence has always shown that this driver was solely at fault because he was speeding, with his foot on the accelerator—which overrode Autopilot—as he rummaged for his dropped phone without his eyes on the road. To be clear, no car in 2019, and none today, would have prevented this crash. This was never about Autopilot; it was a fiction concocted by plaintiffs’ lawyers blaming the car when the driver—from day one—admitted and accepted responsibility.”
So, you admit that the company’s marketing has continued to lie for the past six years?
No the issue still remains on who’s actually responsible? With human drivers we always have someone to take the blame but with robots? Who’s at fault when a self driving car kills someone? The passenger? Tesla? Someone has to be sued and it’ll be Tesla so even if its 1% of total accidents the legal instructions will be overwhelmed because the issue is 1000% harder to resolve.
Once Tesla starts losing multiple 300M lawsuits the flood gates will be open and the company is absolutely done.
That is an issue.
i just realized that I didn’t finish the thought. Once self driving is statistically safer we will ban human drivers. Some places it will be by law, Some the more subtile insurance costs, some by something else.
We need to figure out liability of course. I have ideas but nobody will listen so noebuint in writting.
One challenge here is that we generally value human life pretty high, well at least speaking from legal compensation pov. So you can’t sue Joe the drunk driver for killing your husband for 300 million but you can do thay to Tesla.
In authoritarian states like china maybe society can be forced into accepting “for greater good” sort of mentality but it’s not going to happen in the west imo.