The driverless revolution may exact a political price

[Danke]

The cockpit door was closed when I last boarded a plane. It could have been flown by a robot without me knowing.

Lol.

so what would be the response to a passengers concerns that they bought a ( cheaper) ticket guaranteeing there is a human pilot aboard?

Open the door during boarding?

I have never seen a cockpit crew not allowing someone to come to the cockpit during boarding. I often let them sit in my seat and take a picture with their camera if they wish. Usually parents with their children and some aviation geeks, but younger women get expedited handling.

[Danke]

I suspect that planes with people will probably be one of the last areas where robotic AI guidance will finally take-off (pun intended). When it does come to flight it will start with cargo transport. No passengers needed on cargo flights. Cost will eventually be driven down by economic forces and economies of scale.

Oh, it is coming, but I will be dead by then. I suspect we will see single pilot cockpits in cargo first.

[Raginfridus]

3. Regulations: This is one of the things I'm most excited about! Our current regulatory state makes no sense in a high tech world. (It makes no sense at any time, but people are beginning to recognize its futility) Looking at the future, it seems that people will begin to realize that regulations are an impediment to progress. That is HUGE! Technology has always made regulation pointless; now it's beginning to happen in hyperspeed! Are we really arguing for stricter regulation in RPF??

In theory I can see tickets/jail for driving becoming obsolete.

Drunk at the wheel? Who's to know?

[Danke]

I always laugh at these discussions. I flew very complicated and demanding single pilot aircraft in the past. seven of them that I knew crashed and they are dead. They didn't have any passengers on board. One of them had a weapon officer in the backseat and he killed him too. Unlike a doctor, we cannot bury our mistakes. We spent many many man hours investigating accidents to try to prevent them in the future. Our training is completely geared towards malfunctions and safely recovering an aircraft. Our lives depend on it. Take that out of the equation. And the failure rate could be as high as doctors. When you shop for a medical procedure do you go online and look for the cheapest doctor you can find? Are you going to do that if one company offers a cheaper ticket on a pilotless airplane versus one that has a pilot? Even though currently that won't be an option for a long time as I stated the infrastructure and expense will be much greater for a pilotless aircraft versus paying a pilot.

My skin is in the game, not so much for a "robot."

I fly an aircraft that holds over 300 warm bodies.

their ticket costs is less than 4 dollars an hour of flight time to have the crew on board.

First class pays more of that, economy much less.


Just look at the unlimited budget the military has, and you can begin to figure how much more it will cost to become "pilotless" to develop the technology for autonomous machines and systems that can deliver the same product that we deliver in the dynamic environment commercial aviation operates today.

[Swordsmyth]

but younger women get expedited handling.

Due to recent trends in the news you should be more careful in your choice of words.

[Danke]

Due to recent trends in the news you should be more careful in your choice of words.

You are right, I would have said "Cisgender women"

[Pauls' Revere]

Lol.

so what would be the response to a passengers concerns that they bought a ( cheaper) ticket guaranteeing there is a human pilot aboard?

Open the door during boarding?

I have never seen a cockpit crew not allowing someone to come to the cockpit during boarding. I often let them sit in my seat and take a picture with their camera if they wish. Usually parents with their children and some aviation geeks, but younger women get expedited handling.

strong work.

[Raginfridus]

In theory I can see tickets/jail for driving becoming obsolete.

Drunk at the wheel? Who's to know?

I just remembered: there will probably be those probation breathalizers on every auto, even though they drive themselves.

So much for the perfect road trip.

[Firestarter]

Just imagine how easy false flag terrorism, and unfortunate “accidents” will become with autonomous cars (a.k.a. driverless auto, self-driving car or robotic car)…
There are many advantages to having unmanned vehicles, not in the least that we can get rid of those annoying cab, bus and train drivers.
It’s easy to see why computers are preferable over humans, they don’t complain don’t get ill, never take a vacation, and only need some electricity and don’t ask for a raise, best of all is of course that they don’t pray to Allah (5 times a day) and they follow orders!

Experiments with self driving cars go back all the way to the 1920s!
Among the expected benefits of autonomous cars is a reduction in traffic collisions, including lower insurance costs.
According to Consulting firm McKinsey the widespread use of autonomous vehicles could "eliminate 90% of all auto accidents in the United States, prevent up to US$190 billion in damages and health-costs annually and save thousands of lives."
In Europe, cities in Belgium, France, Italy and the UK are planning to operate transport systems for driverless cars, and Germany, the Netherlands, and Spain have allowed testing robotic cars in traffic. In 2015, the UK Government launched public trials of the LUTZ Pathfinder driverless pod in Milton Keynes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autonomous_car


With the help of the BBC we can have progress once more: http://www.bbc.com/autos/story/20160...affic-part-one

A traffic jam, by definition, is caused by all of us. The root cause may be an accident, or construction, or the crush of mid-sized SUVs leaving a Billy Joel concert, but if you’re part of the traffic flow, you’re part of the problem.
(…)
Error-Prone is meant to show how much safer and more efficient self-driving cars can be on the road; indeed, when all the cars are centrally controlled to travel at the same speed in the same path, they do not crash.
(…)
Somewhere, miles ahead of where you will eventually be stuck fuming, a driver slows slightly, causing the car behind it to slow a bit more. This wave of slowed traffic moves backwards along the roadway, simultaneously growing larger and slowing down,
(…)
Our smart streets will carry sensor-laden cars, which will communicate with each other as well as a central network. Some advanced algorithm will optimize traffic flow, and cars will give each other the proper space to merge, anticipating slowdowns so that brake lights never illuminate.

Morgan Stanley estimated that autonomous cars can save $5.6 trillion per year worldwide: http://www.morganstanley.com/article...future-is-now/
It’s very difficult to understand that developing these kinds of gadgets costs trillions, and that computer technology is making man obsolete…


Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction:

Anthony Levandowski, who is at the center of a legal battle between Uber and Google’s Waymo, has established a nonprofit religious corporation called Way of the Future, according to state filings first uncovered by Wired’s Backchannel. Way of the Future’s startling mission: “To develop and promote the realization of a Godhead based on artificial intelligence and through understanding and worship of the Godhead contribute to the betterment of society.”
(…)
Benek argues that advanced AI is compatible with Christianity – it’s just another technology that humans have created under guidance from God that can be used for good or evil.
“I totally think that AI can participate in Christ’s redemptive purposes,” he said, by ensuring it is imbued with Christian values.

https://www.theguardian.com/technolo...ny-levandowski

[Raginfridus]

Robots are never late.

[specsaregood]

But ultimately, I think we have to ask whether this type of technology brings more liberty or less. Obviously, things are going to change, but things always change. It's just a matter of what you choose to focus on. I choose to take the positive outlook. The internet opened up a line of communication and commerce like never before. All in all, I think it's resulting in more liberty worldwide. I don't want to shut it down just because every keystroke is being monitored. You take the good and try to fight the bad. It's what we do. But we don't have to shun technology - it's really a godsend.

I happen to enjoy driving, have enjoyed it since I was 11. And especially so when I turned 16 and was free to go wherever I could make it on my limited income. I like being in control of my destiny. Throw a bunch of computer driven cars in the woods.

[CaptUSA]

I happen to enjoy driving, have enjoyed it since I was 11. And especially so when I turned 16 and was free to go wherever I could make it on my limited income. I like being in control of my destiny. Throw a bunch of computer driven cars in the woods.

Oh, I love it too! Imagine how much more enjoyable it's going to be when you take half the idiots off the road! Those who have no purpose being behind the wheel except that they need to get from point A to point B. And they'll be replaced with machines with predictable behavior! Goodbye, granny stretching to see over the wheel... Goodbye, soccer mom trying to get the kids to stop fighting... Goodbye, lazy fat-ass more concerned about eating his fast food than paying attention... Goodbye, ditzy teenage girl getting distracted by the butterfly on her windshield...

The main problem I see is that it may become cost-prohibitive. I don't think the bans on human driving will come into play anytime soon, but you can almost certainly guarantee that insurance rates will go up. So then, it'll be a question of how much is it worth to you to enjoy driving?

[Anti Federalist]

Oh, I love it too! Imagine how much more enjoyable it's going to be when you take half the idiots off the road! Those who have no purpose being behind the wheel except that they need to get from point A to point B. And they'll be replaced with machines with predictable behavior! Goodbye, granny stretching to see over the wheel... Goodbye, soccer mom trying to get the kids to stop fighting... Goodbye, lazy fat-ass more concerned about eating his fast food than paying attention... Goodbye, ditzy teenage girl getting distracted by the butterfly on her windshield...

The main problem I see is that it may become cost-prohibitive. I don't think the bans on human driving will come into play anytime soon, but you can almost certainly guarantee that insurance rates will go up. So then, it'll be a question of how much is it worth to you to enjoy driving?

You folks are all whistling past the graveyard.

Within ten years, self driving vehicles and trucks will be the norm and bans on human driving will be in place in major cities.

Within fifteen years, widespread wholesale bans on human driving will be in place and the first wholesale bans on ICE vehicles will be in place.

Within twenty years, ICE vehicles will be completely banned, human driving will be banned, and trucks, trains, planes and ships will all be either self operating or remote operated.

The technocrats are creating hell on earth, because they have as dim of a view of your fellow man as you do (and I do, at least on things political).

Humanity are idiots, and the faster we can get more control measures in place, the better, is how they see it.

And this is the perfect system of control: no cash, no mobility, total dependency on the government for UBI, since there will be no realistic "work" for anyone, other than do nothing make work jobs to qualify for your UBI all while under total surveillance, blindly consuming your way to government approved and government defined happiness.

I weep for my children.

[Intoxiklown]

You folks are all whistling past the graveyard.

Within ten years, self driving vehicles and trucks will be the norm and bans on human driving will be in place in major cities.

Within fifteen years, widespread wholesale bans on human driving will be in place and the first wholesale bans on ICE vehicles will be in place.

Within twenty years, ICE vehicles will be completely banned, human driving will be banned, and trucks, trains, planes and ships will all be either self operating or remote operated.

The technocrats are creating hell on earth, because they have as dim of a view of your fellow man as you do (and I do, at least on things political).

Humanity are idiots, and the faster we can get more control measures in place, the better, is how they see it.

And this is the perfect system of control: no cash, no mobility, total dependency on the government for UBI, since there will be no realistic "work" for anyone, other than do nothing make work jobs to qualify for your UBI all while under total surveillance, blindly consuming your way to government approved and government defined happiness.

I weep for my children.

Honestly, some of your time frame projections are most likely to great. Conservative estimates put full autonomous vehicles (meaning both commercial and private) as the norm by 2022. These vehicles are already being built and sold today with the hardware installed, they are merely waiting for the software. We'll almost assuredly start seeing nationwide legislation limiting or banning manually operated vehicles on the road around 2030 at the latest.

AI systems are going to replace a LOT of jobs over the next 20 years. Medical personnel, legal personnel (lawyers), 90%+ of manual labor, engineers, basically people ranging from high school drop outs to people who hold Ph.Ds. And I'm sorry Danke, but airplane pilots as well. And I'm a pilot, but I also have a background in this kind of technology.

With how digitally plugged in our world has become, more so with iOt systems everywhere (along the lines of 5 million devices coming online daily) as well as AI and quantum computing advances being made at a staggering pace we are literally witnessing a 4th industrial revolution that WILL happen in our lifetimes (unless you're 65+ and sickly).

And you're right AF regarding the high possibility of a UBI system. It's where my brain bucks at where we're heading. Honestly, it's most likely one of the main drivers pushing governments to a cashless society. I fully agree there is a control mechanism within the push, but there is also a proactive element to it regarding looking at ways to prevent millions of unemployed people storming their capitals. It's why I mentioned some very worrisome economic concerns in another thread discussion this topic. I'm not even going to open the can of worms relating to privacy issues that will arise. As I've said before, this is a rabbit hole that gets real deep real fast.

[luctor-et-emergo]

I always laugh at these discussions. I flew very complicated and demanding single pilot aircraft in the past. seven of them that I knew crashed and they are dead. They didn't have any passengers on board. One of them had a weapon officer in the backseat and he killed him too. Unlike a doctor, we cannot bury our mistakes. We spent many many man hours investigating accidents to try to prevent them in the future. Our training is completely geared towards malfunctions and safely recovering an aircraft. Our lives depend on it. Take that out of the equation. And the failure rate could be as high as doctors. When you shop for a medical procedure do you go online and look for the cheapest doctor you can find? Are you going to do that if one company offers a cheaper ticket on a pilotless airplane versus one that has a pilot? Even though currently that won't be an option for a long time as I stated the infrastructure and expense will be much greater for a pilotless aircraft versus paying a pilot.

My skin is in the game, not so much for a "robot."

I fly an aircraft that holds over 300 warm bodies.

their ticket costs is less than 4 dollars an hour of flight time to have the crew on board.

First class pays more of that, economy much less.


Just look at the unlimited budget the military has, and you can begin to figure how much more it will cost to become "pilotless" to develop the technology for autonomous machines and systems that can deliver the same product that we deliver in the dynamic environment commercial aviation operates today.

^^ That. Oh and, I have a self-building pizza oven but at the moment the AI is on a strike.

[Anti Federalist]

Honestly, some of your time frame projections are most likely to great. Conservative estimates put full autonomous vehicles (meaning both commercial and private) as the norm by 2022. These vehicles are already being built and sold today with the hardware installed, they are merely waiting for the software. We'll almost assuredly start seeing nationwide legislation limiting or banning manually operated vehicles on the road around 2030 at the latest.

I would not be surprised, and you are probably right. I was being conservative.

AI systems are going to replace a LOT of jobs over the next 20 years. Medical personnel, legal personnel (lawyers), 90%+ of manual labor, engineers, basically people ranging from high school drop outs to people who hold Ph.Ds. And I'm sorry Danke, but airplane pilots as well. And I'm a pilot, but I also have a background in this kind of technology.

Yes, no one will be exempt this time, which is why UBI will be in place in few years as well.

With how digitally plugged in our world has become, more so with iOt systems everywhere (along the lines of 5 million devices coming online daily) as well as AI and quantum computing advances being made at a staggering pace we are literally witnessing a 4th industrial revolution that WILL happen in our lifetimes (unless you're 65+ and sickly).

Yup, within 20 years or so.

And you're right AF regarding the high possibility of a UBI system. It's where my brain bucks at where we're heading. Honestly, it's most likely one of the main drivers pushing governments to a cashless society. I fully agree there is a control mechanism within the push, but there is also a proactive element to it regarding looking at ways to prevent millions of unemployed people storming their capitals. It's why I mentioned some very worrisome economic concerns in another thread discussion this topic. I'm not even going to open the can of worms relating to privacy issues that will arise. As I've said before, this is a rabbit hole that gets real deep real fast.

It is a guarantee, UBI that is.

As you noted, the powers that be cannot afford billions of out of work starving proles to storm the citadels.

Not until theye have more effective population controls in place, which are being worked on as we speak.

[heavenlyboy34]

You folks are all whistling past the graveyard.

Within ten years, self driving vehicles and trucks will be the norm and bans on human driving will be in place in major cities.

Within fifteen years, widespread wholesale bans on human driving will be in place and the first wholesale bans on ICE vehicles will be in place.

Within twenty years, ICE vehicles will be completely banned, human driving will be banned, and trucks, trains, planes and ships will all be either self operating or remote operated.

The technocrats are creating hell on earth, because they have as dim of a view of your fellow man as you do (and I do, at least on things political).

Humanity are idiots, and the faster we can get more control measures in place, the better, is how they see it.

And this is the perfect system of control: no cash, no mobility, total dependency on the government for UBI, since there will be no realistic "work" for anyone, other than do nothing make work jobs to qualify for your UBI all while under total surveillance, blindly consuming your way to government approved and government defined happiness.

I weep for my children.

Gonna disagree with ya there. We polyglots will always have work. Machine translators are always, always going to be bull$#@!. They'll never be able to pick up the nuances of highly inflected languages(almost all of them), tone languages, and click languages. Even if we're just translating propaganda and dumb entertainment, the demand will always be there. Prolly also always be sports and entertainment too. Bread and circuses, ya know. I like to think fine arts would be kept around, but no guarantees because those already tend to have a pretty niche audience.

[devil21]

Strange things that happen when the dollar loses reserve status and, by extension, ability to print it in unlimited quantities. No need for driver violations to fill state and local coffers with printed money.

Will people realize that the real long term goal of self driving cars is to completely control people's movement to the point that entire lives will be lived within 10 square miles like pre-industrial times? The cities are being transformed into Gaza-like controlled access/exit concentration camps. No traveling, no experiencing other cultures, sightseeing historical landmarks, etc. Will the next generations even care or will that be programmed out of them?

Time to brush up on the Georgia Guidestones to see where tptb are pushing things.

[PursuePeace]

I happen to enjoy driving, have enjoyed it since I was 11. And especially so when I turned 16 and was free to go wherever I could make it on my limited income. I like being in control of my destiny. Throw a bunch of computer driven cars in the woods.

Seriously.
They can have my old jeep when they pry my cold, dead hands from the steering wheel.
Actually, no. Even then, they can't have it.
The bastards.

[Anti Federalist]

Gonna disagree with ya there. We polyglots will always have work. Machine translators are always, always going to be bull$#@!. They'll never be able to pick up the nuances of highly inflected languages(almost all of them), tone languages, and click languages. Even if we're just translating propaganda and dumb entertainment, the demand will always be there. Prolly also always be sports and entertainment too. Bread and circuses, ya know. I like to think fine arts would be kept around, but no guarantees because those already tend to have a pretty niche audience.

I'm supposed to be happy that there will be a few jobs for the Inner Party member at the Ministry of Truth?

[phill4paul]

^^ That. Oh and, I have a self-building pizza oven but at the moment the AI is on a strike.

[heavenlyboy34]

I'm supposed to be happy that there will be a few jobs for the Inner Party member at the Ministry of Truth?

Not so much happy as "less despondent". It's better for man's soul to do something productive with his hands and time than nothing. It's why prison labor programs are popular with inmates. #1984

[CaptUSA]

Not so much happy as "less despondent". It's better for man's soul to do something productive with his hands and time than nothing. It's why prison labor programs are popular with inmates. #1984

And it's why this doomsday scenario will never happen. Human wants are unlimited. And because of that, there will always be other humans that have the need and desire to fulfill those wants. I mean, seriously, guys.... this same conversation has happened all throughout history. How many weavers, farriers, switchboard operators, bank tellers, ice cutters, pinsetters, lamplighters, and cobblers does it take for you to recognize that when they lost their industries, new ones developed?

What's more scary to me is that the economically-educated in these forums are still falling for the old scare tactics that drive more regulation. In each instance of technological advance, it created more efficiency which led to more wealth to be used in places people never previously dreamed. It will happen again. And again. And again. This is human nature we're talking about here. The invisible hand of God at work! (see bastiat quote in my sig line)

[Anti Federalist]

And it's why this doomsday scenario will never happen. Human wants are unlimited. And because of that, there will always be other humans that have the need and desire to fulfill those wants. I mean, seriously, guys.... this same conversation has happened all throughout history. How many weavers, farriers, switchboard operators, bank tellers, ice cutters, pinsetters, lamplighters, and cobblers does it take for you to recognize that when they lost their industries, new ones developed?

What's more scary to me is that the economically-educated in these forums are still falling for the old scare tactics that drive more regulation. In each instance of technological advance, it created more efficiency which led to more wealth to be used in places people never previously dreamed. It will happen again. And again. And again. This is human nature we're talking about here. The invisible hand of God at work! (see bastiat quote in my sig line)

Nope, I disagree.

The end of line has been reached.

We have now created a world in which we will soon be utterly obsolete.

There is now nothing, from cobbler to computer programmer, that can not be done faster, safer and more efficiently by machine intelligence.

That is what the missing link is all of the other examples you cited.

It was the substitution of one "dumb" tool for another.

Machine intelligence is something substantially different, a tectonic technology shift that will incredibly alter, or very possibly destroy, mankind.

Not to mention killing liberty and freedom, as we understand at, deader than a bag of hammers.

Again, we're supposed to be happy that there will be jobs for a very limited amount of people in the Ministry of Truth, translating government propaganda on the government tit?

No future I want.

[CaptUSA]

Nope, I disagree.

The end of line has been reached.

We have now created a world in which we will soon be utterly obsolete.

There is now nothing, from cobbler to computer programmer, that can not be done faster, safer and more efficiently by machine intelligence.

That is what the missing link is all of the other examples you cited.

It was the substitution of one "dumb" tool for another.

Machine intelligence is something substantially different, a tectonic technology shift that will incredibly alter, or very possibly destroy, mankind.

Not to mention killing liberty and freedom, as we understand at, deader than a bag of hammers.

Again, we're supposed to be happy that there will be jobs for a very limited amount of people in the Ministry of Truth, translating government propaganda on the government tit?

No future I want.

I just disagree with the premise entirely. I don't think that premise is borne out by any historical data, ever. But those same fears have always been present. People feared electrification. People feared the automobile. People feared the radio. None of these things changed human nature. Good and evil still happened. The new tools were used for both purposes. Same with the internet. Driverless cars are the same. I know it's scary - but that's only because the future is unknown. It's impossible to know what the future wants will be. But faith will tell you they'll be there. New jobs that you can't even imagine now are right around the corner. And at all levels of skill and knowledge. I promise.

[heavenlyboy34]

Nope, I disagree.

The end of line has been reached.

We have now created a world in which we will soon be utterly obsolete.

There is now nothing, from cobbler to computer programmer, that can not be done faster, safer and more efficiently by machine intelligence.

That is what the missing link is all of the other examples you cited.

It was the substitution of one "dumb" tool for another.

Machine intelligence is something substantially different, a tectonic technology shift that will incredibly alter, or very possibly destroy, mankind.

Not to mention killing liberty and freedom, as we understand at, deader than a bag of hammers.

Again, we're supposed to be happy that there will be jobs for a very limited amount of people in the Ministry of Truth, translating government propaganda on the government tit?

No future I want.

Meh, I gave you an example in #47^^ Even the "smartest" computer translators in the world produce a lot of garbage that has to be cleaned up later. Plenty of times whole sections and pages have to be redone. $#@! a bunch of robotanslators. Throw em in the woods. All I can really use em for is a hint to refer to a real book if I can't think of something off the top of my head. Cheaper and faster to have people do it.

[Danke]

Meh, I gave you an example in #47^^ Even the "smartest" computer translators in the world produce a lot of garbage that has to be cleaned up later. Plenty of times whole sections and pages have to be redone. $#@! a bunch of robotanslators. Throw em in the woods. All I can really use em for is a hint to refer to a real book if I can't think of something off the top of my head. Cheaper and faster to have people do it.

But, but in a couple of years, it will all be perfected.

[PursuePeace]

And it's why this doomsday scenario will never happen. Human wants are unlimited. And because of that, there will always be other humans that have the need and desire to fulfill those wants. I mean, seriously, guys.... this same conversation has happened all throughout history. How many weavers, farriers, switchboard operators, bank tellers, ice cutters, pinsetters, lamplighters, and cobblers does it take for you to recognize that when they lost their industries, new ones developed?

What's more scary to me is that the economically-educated in these forums are still falling for the old scare tactics that drive more regulation. In each instance of technological advance, it created more efficiency which led to more wealth to be used in places people never previously dreamed. It will happen again. And again. And again. This is human nature we're talking about here. The invisible hand of God at work! (see bastiat quote in my sig line)

I do get what you're saying and I agree.
However... just thinking about how many jobs we already do NOT have here in the USA now. How many people are not working and living off of the stolen fruits of other people's labor. The "easier" life becomes, the more stupid, lazy, apathetic, and disgusting mankind seems to become. Instead of having more time to learn things and become smarter and better people, the opposite now seems to happen. (Not everyone. But, in general.)

I think this is why survivalists/living off the land etc. has always appealed to me.
Man being in close relation to the earth.
Technology is great, but part of me feels we are losing some very core things along the way.

[heavenlyboy34]

But, but in a couple of years, it will all be perfected.

LOLOLOL Google translate still $#@!s up basic $#@! like verb tenses EVEN WITH FULL CONTEXT. I've also seen numerous occasions of computer translators mixing up word order. Language is so human and "messy" I don't believe computers will be able to meaningfully replace real translators.

[Origanalist]

Man, I feel like addressing this from so many angles.

1. Economics: More efficiency always increases wealth and prosperity. This is a good thing. Don't worry about jobs going away - wants are unlimited. With the extra resources we'll have, more jobs will be created - even though their unidentified now. Automobiles killed the farriers, but I don't see anyone arguing against them anymore. Read post #20

2. Unions: Are we really arguing that unions should work to stifle innovation? In RPF?

3. Regulations: This is one of the things I'm most excited about! Our current regulatory state makes no sense in a high tech world. (It makes no sense at any time, but people are beginning to recognize its futility) Looking at the future, it seems that people will begin to realize that regulations are an impediment to progress. That is HUGE! Technology has always made regulation pointless; now it's beginning to happen in hyperspeed! Are we really arguing for stricter regulation in RPF??

4. Safety: Once these things get on the road, they will learn on their own and become safer and safer. My main worry is that it will be incredibly easy to create a roadblock... Just walk out onto a road and all the cars will stop. Of course, they'll reroute themselves and let every other vehicle know how to reroute, but you have to worry about calls for "traffic interference" laws.

4B. Creepiness: This leads us to what AF fears... Those traffic interference penalties. It's not hard to envision steep penalties for anyone causing an accident with a robocar (after all, most of them will be owned by corporate fleets - and they will have deep pockets). Eventually, insurance carriers will run up the rates for human drivers to the point that most people just decide that it's not worth it to drive manually. Not to mention that when you use a car, your travel will be tracked and logged and will be used to gather as much info about you as possible for all sorts of uses.

But ultimately, I think we have to ask whether this type of technology brings more liberty or less. Obviously, things are going to change, but things always change. It's just a matter of what you choose to focus on. I choose to take the positive outlook. The internet opened up a line of communication and commerce like never before. All in all, I think it's resulting in more liberty worldwide. I don't want to shut it down just because every keystroke is being monitored. You take the good and try to fight the bad. It's what we do. But we don't have to shun technology - it's really a godsend.

Less liberty. Thats what it will bring. Less liberty. When you can no longer drive, maintain and independently operate your own car, truck or motorcycle it will mean less liberty. Period. You dont want to do that? Fine, ride the $#@!ing bus.

These changes will mean even more than currently your every movement will be tracked and strictly controlled by government. You think regulations will be reduced as a result of this? LOLOLOL