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Focusing On Tech Alone, You Miss How Autonomous Driving Will Change Society
Hallie Siegel writes The way that consumers interact with and operate cars will transform most functions in commuting, travel, communications, car ownership, and many other as-yet unknown ways. Dieter Zetsche, chairman of Daimler and head of Mercedes-Benz Cars, said at this year's CES in Las Vegas: "Anyone who focuses solely on the technology has not yet grasped how autonomous driving will change our society." Robotics watcher Frank Tobe writes about how imagination is overtaking the ethics debate around autonomous cars."
Why do we *need* to travel at all? Autonomous transportation in many cases is simply very inefficient teleconferencing. At least this is true in business.
I am very small, utmostly microscopic.
I couldn't agree more re the vapidity. You only have to look back to old Heinlein stories to see someone making an actual content-filled prediction about the social impact of driverless cars (see for example, Between Planets)
The handicapped, elderly, and young who are currently limited in terms of autonomy will have much better access to the world outside their home.
Every car could become an ambulance
Car ownership will take on looser terms: If I'm going to bed now, and won't need the car until morning, why can't it act as a taxi? If many people have idle cars acting as taxis, why do I need a car?
What effect with this have on mass transit?
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