Can self-driving cars ever be truly autonomous? Experts say 'no'

Self-driving cars or autonomous vehicles (AV) are the future. The idea of a car that can drive itself without any effort on your side might sound like a grand idea, but experts warn that this is not feasible in the absence of helpful human supervision.

As per Reuters, in order to build truly self-driving automobiles, autonomous vehicle (AV) firms have raised tens of billions of dollars. Much of the research and investment has been motivated by the fundamental idea that computers and artificial intelligence will significantly minimise accidents brought on by human error.

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However, the catch is that AI simply lacks a human's ability to predict and or assess risk on the spot, especially in the face of unforeseen accidents or "edge cases."

Similar to air traffic controllers, such human supervisors could be stationed hundreds of miles away watching video feeds from various AVs and occasionally controlling them with a steering wheel, ready to intervene and restart stuck robot drivers.

When asked if he could imagine a day where remote human overseers might be eliminated from operations, Kyle Vogt, CEO of Cruise, a division of General Motors, responded, "Well, my question would be, 'Why?'"

"I can provide my customers peace of mind knowing there is always a human there to help if needed," he said adding "I don't know why I'd ever want to get rid of that."

The ambitious rollout timelines for truly driverless vehicles were projected just a few years ago, but they are now far behind and the unfulfilled promises have raised the stakes for the AV industry.

Mike Wagner, CEO of Edge Case Research, which aids AV companies in risk assessment, management, and insurance, predicts that if these businesses don't flourish during the following two years, they will cease to exist.

"It's a case of put up or shut up at this point."

Imperium Drive's Kaveh predicts that "even decades from now you will not get to 100 per cent truly autonomous vehicles."

(With inputs from agencies)

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