Commentary: Tesla’s recall of 2 million vehicles reminds us how far driverless car AI still has to go

SPECIFIC USES

These new protocols should provide more rigorous testing and validation methods, ensuring that AI-driven vehicles meet the highest standards of safety, performance and interoperability (where AI systems from different manufacturers can work “understand” and work together). In doing so, they will establish a foundation for a safer, more harmonious traffic environment where driverless and human-driven cars mix.

It would be a mistake to write off fully self-driving cars, even without the developments which are needed. There is still a place for them, albeit not as ubiquitously as the rapid spread of Tesla vehicles might indicate. We’ll initially need them for specific uses such as autonomous shuttles and highway driving. Alternatively, they could be used in special environments with their own dedicated infrastructure.

For instance, autonomous buses could drive a predefined route with a dedicated lane. Autonomous trucks could also have a separate lane on motorways. However, it’s crucial that uses focus on benefiting the entire community, not just a specific – usually wealthy – group in society.

To ensure autonomous vehicles are well integrated on our roads, we’ll need a diverse groups of experts to enter into a dialogue. These include car manufacturers, policymakers, computer scientists, human and social behaviour scientists and engineers and governmental bodies, among others.

They must come together to address the current challenges. This collaboration should aim to create a robust framework that accounts for the complexity and variability of real-world driving scenarios.

It would involve developing industry-wide safety protocols and standards, shaped by input from all people with a stake in the matter and ensuring these standards can evolve as the technology advances.

The collaborative effort would also need to create open channels for sharing data and insights from real-world testing and simulations. It must also foster public trust through transparency and demonstrate the reliability and safety of AI systems in autonomous vehicles.

Saber Fallah is Director of Connected Autonomous Vehicles Lab at the University of Surrey. This commentary first appeared in The Conversation.