Would You Trust AI with Your Life?
Recent emergence and rapid progression of artificial intelligence (AI) have undoubtedly sparked a new era, but whether it's highly beneficial or not remains up for debate. While you might trust AI to draft up a travel itinerary for you, you're likely less keen to rely on it in potentially dangerous situations, such as driving on the highway or navigating complex roads. And yet, autonomous vehicles have made unprecedented advancements. Ready to weigh in with your take? Here are 10 reasons why riding with AI may be deadly—and 10 ways it could actually save your life.
1. Mishandling Unpredictable Road Situations
Driving down a quiet road with little to no other drivers or road users might be an easy situation for a self-driving car to handle. But once you start throwing in unpredictable elements and obstacles—like construction, emergency vehicles, and wild animals—these make the scenario much more complex. An autonomous vehicle may not know the right (or quickest) way to respond.
2. Cybersecurity Attacks
Self-driving cars are reliant on the computer systems that allow them to run. But these networks could just as easily be hacked by cybercriminals, who can then access any private data you've stored on it or worse—take complete control over your vehicle.
3. Ethical Concerns
Self-driving cars also raise ethical and moral concerns: if an autonomous vehicle causes an accident, who takes responsibility? Is it you as the passenger in the car, the manufacturer, or the developers and programmers who made the system? It's also up in the air for how AI should respond in situations where harm is inevitable. Should it swerve and hit another car, or should it hit the motorcyclist who abruptly stopped in front?
4. Sensor & Software Failures
Another danger of autonomous vehicles is the possibility of their sensors and software malfunctioning. It may incorrectly identify objects on the road as something else, or not misinterpret traffic signs, rules, and regulations. Unlike humans, these systems aren't equipped to handle unexpected changes on the fly.
5. Limited Interaction with Other Road Users
There are many users on the road, from cyclists and pedestrians to drivers, who form a complex network. Oftentimes, we rely on eye contact and gestures to understand the intentions of others. Self-driving cars, however, don't have this ability. Without these cues, it may lead to more accidents.
6. Malfunctioning in Extreme Weather Conditions
Extreme weather conditions, like heavy rain, fog, or snow, can severely obstruct the sensors on autonomous vehicles, which may then be interpreted as a system malfunction. They may also be unable to correctly handle speeds on certain roads, such as on slippery surfaces or wet pavement, leading to unexpected maneuvers.
7. Risk of System Failure at High Speeds
While self-driving cars are yet to safely handle highway speeds, they're still able to drive at faster-than-average limits. However, this poses another safety concern: if in a situation where a system glitch happens, how will an autonomous vehicle brake quickly enough and regain control?
Cristhian_Adame_Photo on Pixabay
8. Fire Hazard
Self-driving cars contain lithium-ion batteries which are extremely flammable, If they were to overheat and catch on fire, the result would be catastrophic, affecting not only you and other passengers, but spreading quickly to engulf surrounding vehicles and road users. Flames from these batteries also can't be put out by water or fire extinguishers.
9. Privacy Concerns
Because the systems in autonomous vehicles can be hacked by cybercriminals, they can easily gain access to your personal data, which contains records of your driving patterns, location information, and destination history. But never mind the hackers—this data can also be shared with manufacturers, insurance companies, or other agencies without your consent.
10. Navigation Errors
Autonomous vehicles are heavily reliant on GPS systems to route them to your destination. But these navigational systems are infallible; certain paths may be overly complex, go under construction, or even cordoned off unexpectedly, which aren't immediately reflected in the system. These abnormalities might confuse self-driving cars and cause them to make errors.
All that being said, while autonomous vehicles can seem highly dangerous, they can also save lives. Let's take a look at 10 specific ways.
1. Lowers Risk of Human Error
Since autonomous vehicles rely on computer systems and sensors to drive, unless these systems malfunction or become corrupted by hackers, there's almost little to no risk of errors. Humans, on the other hand, can be influenced in various ways which can lead to accidents on the road.
2. Eliminates Drunk Driving
With autonomous vehicles taking control, there's no risk of impaired driving. Self-driving cars can take drivers home in situations where ride-hailing services are considered too expensive or there isn't a trusted person who can pick them up. This greatly reduces the possibility of making dangerous maneuvers and decisions on the road.
3. Better Reaction Time
As mentioned, self-driving cars are reliant on the sensors and computer systems that allow them to run smoothly and without errors. Because of this, they can scan the environment and all the surrounding data in milliseconds, which allows for near-instant reaction times and can prevent collisions with animals or sudden hazards.
4. No More Distracted Driving
Drivers are prone to looking at their phones, adjusting the radio, getting into emotional arguments and conversations, and eating or drinking while behind the wheel. With an autonomous vehicle that can take over, the chance of accidents on the road due to distracted driving is eliminated.
5. Diligently Follows the Rules of the Road
Self-driving cars are also programmed to follow the rules of the road, meaning they're unlikely to drive at unsafe speeds, perform dangerous or aggressive maneuvers, or ignore signs and traffic regulations. This significantly reduces the probability of accidents caused by reckless driving.
6. Better "Vision" in Poor Weather Conditions
While humans need to rely on their own eyesight to drive in extreme weather conditions, autonomous vehicles are equipped with much enhanced "vision," allowing them to better predict the road ahead. Provided that the data received through their sensors is accurate, this allows for safer navigation.
7. Reduces Risk of Driving While Fatigued
Driving fatigued or falling asleep at the wheel accounts for nearly 20% of motor accidents, and thousands are killed each year as a result of it. But autonomous vehicles eliminate the possibility of this happening, just as they do with accidents related to impaired or distracted driving.
8. Traffic Efficiency
Self-driving cars can communicate with one another on the road, allowing for better, smoother flow of traffic and overall efficiency. This means congestions are less likely to occur, which would then significantly reduce accidents caused by road rage and aggressive lane weaving.
9. Enhanced Road Safety
Along with sensors and computer systems that can better predict the road, autonomous vehicles are equipped with features like blind spot monitoring, emergency braking, and evasive steering. This greatly prevents collisions, as self-driving cars provide much faster reaction times than driving manually.
10. Equipped with Emergency Assistance
If you were to ever pass out or have a medical emergency while behind the wheel, autonomous vehicles can immediately take over by pulling the the side of the road, turning on the hazard lights, honking to alert other drivers, and making an SOS call. In particular, this feature is available on Volkswagen models programmed with IQ.DRIVE Technology.
