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Microsoft Wants To Power Self-Driving Cars With Software, Not Build One (theverge.com)
An anonymous reader writes: Microsoft's Peggy Johnson said at the Converge conference (Warning: WSJ source paywalled) in Hong Kong this week that the company is not interested in manufacturing its own self-driving cars, but instead is interested in building software for cars. "We won't be building our own autonomous vehicle but we would like to enable autonomous vehicles and assisted driving as well," said Johnson, head of business development at Microsoft. "We in different ways enabled a variety of different partners and you'll see us continuing to do that." Microsoft is open to partners requesting an operating system for cars. The company has partnered with Harman to integrate Microsoft Office 365 into its infotainment systems, bringing Word, Excel, and PowerPoint to cars for the first time. "You're sitting in the car for many, many minutes a day. Can that be part of your new office, can it be your new desk, a place where you actually get work done?" asked Johnson. "We believe it can." Two years ago, Microsoft unveiled their "Windows in the car" initiative to compete against Apple's CarPlay.
More than a silly comment, I wonder if that kind of software will leak information to Microsoft like Windows 10. Just imagine: GPS maps of where and when you did drive. Where you stop for get gas/enegry. How many people travel in the car and their faces just for safety. If you get tickets and how many. Just for deliver ads in the front panel or phone home to your Microsoft profile for sync all the data they harvest for you. Better get a 2000s car where you are the driver and not a product for harvest data of.
If Windows wants to be automatic car software, the question I have is very simple. It is about liability.
If Windows software makes a mistake, I assume Microsoft can be sued. Like Toyota has been sued.
But if Linux (Ubuntu, or, perhaps, Carbuntu) will be managing hardware - who do I sue if I get into the accident? Should we expect Open Source software insurance fee aka contemporary equivalent of "uninsured motorist" insurance charge?