Self-driving cars

February 6th, 2019

Three things that are highly unlikely to happen within the next 20 years (be sure to read the disclaimer after the list before jumping in to comment):

  1. SkyNet-style machine uprising or any similar “at which point the technology has became self-aware and decided to eliminate the humanity” event
  2. Self-driving cars
  3. George R.R. Martin finishing the “A Song of Ice and Fire” books

And now the disclaimer. By self-driving cars I mean the combination of technology and legislature that would give me the option, owned, leased or on-demand, to have a vehicle for myself and my family to get me from point A to point B at my time of choosing. The only mandatory condition is that it would not require me to pay any attention to what is happening during the trip.

If I am required – by technology or by law – to be able to take over the control of the vehicle at any point in time, that is not a self-driving car in my world. If the technology is only available on specific roads (highways, for example) or under very specific weather conditions, that is also not a self-driving car in my world.