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GM Brings IT Dev Back In House; Self-Driving Caddy In the Works

Posted by timothy on from the oh-christine dept.

dstates writes "Want a good job in IT? Detroit of all places may be the place to be. GM is bringing IT development back in house to speed innovation. Among other initiatives, a self driving Cadillac is planned by mid decade. Ford is also actively developing driver assist technology and is betting big on voice recognition. Ann Arbor has thousands of smart cars wirelessly connected on the road. Think about all those aging baby boomers with houses in the burbs and no desire to move as their vision and reflexes decline. The smart car is a huge market. Seriously, Detroit and SE Michigan have good jobs, great universities, cheap housing and easy access to great sports and outdoors activities."

9 of 171 comments (clear)

  1. Free dystopia by concealment · · Score: 4, Funny

    I'm fond of Detroit, but it's worth mentioning that it could be a set from Blade Runner.

    1. Re:Free dystopia by boristdog · · Score: 4, Informative

      Fun Fact: Much of Robocop 2, ostensibly set in Detroit, was filmed in Houston. I have no idea why. Probably because of winter, though, which only marginally exists in Houston.

    2. Re:Free dystopia by lennier1 · · Score: 4, Funny

      In part because due to the high crime rate the real place has become too dangerous to film a movie there about a dystopian crime-ridden Detroit.

  2. Oh boy... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Ford ... is betting big on voice recognition.

    A driver gets cut off, yells "fucking asshole!"
    Car: "Now fucking your asshole"

  3. Fears of Self-Driving Cars by MyLongNickName · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I love the idea of self-driving cars. I will talk about it with people and frequently, I will get the response "the idea of computers driving scares me". My response: "the idea of humans driving cars scares me more".

    --
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    1. Re:Fears of Self-Driving Cars by Kjella · · Score: 4, Insightful

      A lot of people said that even if self-driving cars were proven to have a fraction of the accident rate of human drivers, people still wouldn't trust them because of those few times something *could* go wrong.

      Many if not most accidents are caused by someone being careless, stupid, tired, distracted, drunk or high. That means most people most of the time think they're driving much safer than average, either because they're not any of the things above or think they're not - that particularly applies to careless and stupid. To gain public acceptance you must beat "idealized" humans, that even if you're cautious, forward thinking, well rested, alert, sober and in every way fit to drive a car an AI has 360 degree vision, millisecond reaction time and all sorts of advantages that you can't beat. You're not competing against the actual accident rate, you're fighting people's perceived - and often imaginary - risk of an accident.

      --
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  4. Re:Target Market by gstoddart · · Score: 4, Funny

    The Cadillac target market seems to be eerily similar to the cognac target market: a combination of old, at least vaguely affluent, white guys and young hip-hop aspirants. I don't know how it happened.

    Price, and marketing. Cadillac has always been sold as up-market luxury. Hell, the name is almost synonymous with luxury in America ... "this is the Cadillac of (item)" conveys quality and luxury.

    So the slightly older and affluent folks are the obvious choices because they have the money to buy one, and because older affluent folks have always bought Cadillacs. That's how they know they're affluent. :-P

    I think that carried over into the nouveau riche because of the same cachet ... in some circles, if you've made it, you drive a Cadillac. And, since they tend to make larger cars, people who need a little room (like pro athletes) go for them.

    I largely think of them as for old men, wise guys (think Sopranos), people who want to put 21" rims, and mommy-tanks (the Escalade).

    For me though, it's one of the last vehicles I'd want to own, but that's just personal taste. They're mostly massive cars.

    Though, it is always amusing to see a Cadillac or a Hummer that someone has pimped out with huge rims and massive amounts of chrome -- there's a Hummer H3 in my area which has the most gigantic chrome spinners I've ever seen, and every piece that could be chromed has been. Seen the same thing applied to Caddies as well.

    --
    Lost at C:>. Found at C.
  5. Re:Target Market by Nerdfest · · Score: 4, Funny

    That would be especially awesome on a stock car track, with the left turn signal left on.

  6. Re:Seriously... by RaceProUK · · Score: 4, Funny

    A caddy is a car carrying golf clubs.

    FTFY

    --
    No colour or religion ever stopped the bullet from a gun