Society Will Not Benefit From Autonomous Vehicles. Discuss.

by indigonelson3gmailcom (student)

SOCIETY WILL NOT BENEFIT FROM AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES

Almost every major car manufacturer has mentioned the potential benefits of autonomous vehicles. They often talk about design, on-board technology, safety, and fuel efficiency, but too little focus is given to the effects on sectors including energy, the environment, and human rights. Hello, I am …………….and welcome to the Future is Now Conference. I believe society will not benefit from autonomous vehicles. Picture a world where self-driving cars-or autonomous vehicles- are the new normal. The car, nor its human occupant, is in full control. Using its various sensors, radars, cameras, and GPS devices, it seamlessly navigates from Point A to point B, communicating with other vehicles and a high-tech roadway infrastructure to get you to your destination safely. This autonomous-only future on the roads would maintain an optimal traffic flow and get you and your fellow riders there as efficiently as possible. This world may come sooner than you think as many major auto industry manufacturers, along with a handful of other technology companies, have self-driving cars that are very far along in development. Some, in fact, have already been operating pilot versions on the streets around you. Of course, we likely are still decades away from fully automated vehicles dominating the roads, but as vehicles progress from fully driver- controlled to primarily computer-assisted to completely driverless, society as we know it is in for some changes.

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Autonomous vehicles place the decision of the car in the hands of a computer. There are times when split-second decisions are necessary because of rapidly changing circumstances. What would a driverless car decide to do if it encountered an individual crossing the street? Would, it run into that person or decide to take the vehicle off-road, Placing the occupants at a higher risk for harm? There are times in our society where we are more comfortable with a human behind the wheel because we have an instinct to find a third alternative that artificial intelligence does not necessary use. Until we can program this feature into computers, the future of this technology will always be in question. As of 2013, the Congressional Research Service reported that the US is 100% completely reliant on imports for these materials. Rare earth elements are critical to the manufacture and production of electric and hybrid vehicles, electronic devices (including those needed for autonomy), catalytic converters, petroleum refining, flat panel displays, wind turbine generators and medal devices.

As driverless cars approach the market as a legitimate option, there is similar threat faced in our society for employment that is similar to what artificial intelligence causes in other industries. It is very possible that this technology could slowly put the people who operate transport vehicles for a living out of business. Anyone who drives a taxi, delivers food, or even works for Uber could be impacted in negative ways. Driverless trucks could even transport goods across the country without needing someone behind the wheel to guarantee the delivery. As stated in the article “vittana.” In 2012, students from Tokyo who were visiting Australia were following the instructions provided by their GPS and drove themselves right into Moreton Bay as they tried to navigate between two islands along a channel route. Furthermore a 17-year-old driver in New Jersey made an illegal left turn following the advice of the GPS, leading to a four-car accident. These issues have occurred because the decision of the car is left in the hands of a computer. These issues could become more prevalent if we rely on the automated functions of a driverless car.

Another danger of self-driving vehicles are issues related to hacking. If hackers are able to attack the systems that are needed for self-driving cars to work properly, this could lead to a variety of serious accidents. Therefore, car companies have to make sure that the underlying data systems are protected properly in order to fight hacking attacks and to assure the safety of autonomous cars. As stated in the article “vittana.” Driverless cars use technologies that cost of $100,000 per vehicle as of 2018. Although that price has come down in recent years, that is still a cost which is outside of the realm of ownership possibilities for the average family. Although a driverless car system would likely reduce the number of accidents that occur on roadways, they will not completely remove this threat from our transportation grids. In 2018, Uber experienced the first known fatality involving a self-driving vehicle in Tempe, AZ, when their car struck a pedestrian. The driver is looking at her lap when the accident occurs, with the vehicle stopping at the moment of impact.

Driverless vehicles show us that we still have a lot of room to grow with this technology, even as it slowly begins to approach its 100th birthday as a practical idea. New advances in the field of artificial technology provide us with hope that it could become a reality one day. There are also questions about ethics and responsibility to consider when employing this technology on a larger scale than what we have already tried. Overall, I strongly believe that Autonomous vehicles will not benefit society.