Musk insisted cameras alone could create a fully self-driving car, thanks to near-magical software and reams of shared data from owners.
Beginning in 2014, Elon Musk defied a near-consensus among technologists in autonomy. Those flaws, and GM’s divergent approach - call it humanism versus hubris - trace to the origins of both systems. And I agree with experts who believe they never will (in current form), and certainly not safely, because of fundamental flaws in Autopilot’s design and philosophy. The Cliff Notes version: Teslas still can’t drive themselves without human oversight. How the worm has turned: While I was capital-C Cruising in New England, watching the Sierra pull off fully automated passes and lane changes with panache, Tesla was being spanked and sued by a California regulator for years of bad faith and broken promises over its Autopilot.
I just logged hundreds of mellow miles in a GMC Sierra Denali equipped with Super Cruise, convinced more than ever that GM’s hands-free driving tech is unsurpassed.
