Self-Driving Cars: 5 Articles

When I think of artificial intelligence, I usually think of movies like I, Robot or The Terminator (scary, right). Most recently though, I’ve come to think about artificial intelligence in terms of its contributions to humanity in the form of self-driving cars.

Given what we’ve been conditioned into believing about the implications of making computers able to think and learn, should the fact that self-driving cars are closer than ever to being made reality excite or terrify us?

 

Maybe a little bit of both, but one thing that’s clear is that once self-driving cars become reality, other aspects of our lives may soon change as well. Let's take a look at a few implications of self-driving cars with these five articles. 

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These articles can be read through CPL’s Online Resources.

Are Driverless Cars a Good Idea? by Emily Duff Bartel and Jamie Lincoln Kitman 

New York Times Upfront, May 15, 2017                                                                                       

There are always two sides to every story and this article is no different. Presented in debate-style, we get the pros and cons from both perspectives. 

 

We Feel It Too by Aarian Marshall

Wired, September 1, 2017     

Cynical, but straightforward, this article voices the anxiety felt by society in the face of technological advances in artificial intelligence, specifically when it comes to self-driving cars. 

 

Self Driving Cars Are Cool, But They’re Not For Everyone by J.D. Tuccille

Reason, October 2017

An important, yet woefully overlooked, aspect of self-driving cars infiltrating our roads is rural travel. This article suggests that while 20% of people in the United States live in low-population, rural areas, self-driving cars are being made for one-size-fits-all city conditions. 

 

GM Jumps Ahead in Self-Driving Cars by David Welch

Bloomberg Businessweek, December 4, 2017 

I like to think that safety is the ultimate goal, but competition is heating up with General Motors Co. leading the way as Waymo, Uber Technologies, Inc., and Tesla race to be the first to market. This article discusses GM's development of the Chevy Bolt and the competition faced in the automobile industry. 

 

Take the Wheel: Self-Driving Cars Must Connect With Humans 

Wired, July 2017 

This article addresses the risk involved in a human-machine driven vehicle and poses the question: Who should be in charge in a given situation? Artificial intelligence or humans?

 

Would you ride in a self-driving car?