Tesla’s AI Self-Driving Tech Isn’t Actually ‘That Great,’ In Elon Musk’s Opinion
Image via Tesla
In a rather strange move, Tesla’s founder and CEO Elon Musk has declared that he thinks the Tesla EVs’ driver assistance software, FSD Beta 9.2, isn’t all that good at doing its job.
At US$10,000 or US$199 per month, drivers in the US can purchase a Full Self-Driving (FSD) package. Despite its name, though, it’s crucial to remember that even with this package, the vehicles aren’t entirely safe for use unless there’s an attentive driver present, too.
The FSD beta is only available to select drivers who previously purchased the feature, as well as Tesla employees. A few public beta users are allowed to share footage of their experiences and give feedback, but most drivers don’t say much about it.
The package is sold with the promise of a few key features, including the EV’s ability to automatically change lanes, drive on a highway, navigate into a parking lot, and leave it when needed. Although this doesn’t sound like the safest initiative, those who are testing autonomous driving are allowed to do so on regular US roads.
At last week’s Tesla AI Day event, the company showcased a custom chip used to train AI. Specifically, AI that can identify obstacles on roads, a step forward in the self-driving tech that Tesla fames itself for.
However, suddenly, in a reply on Twitter, Musk has called the system “not that great [in my opinion].” He follows that by saying that the AI team is “rallying to improve as fast as possible.”
FSD Beta 9.2 is actually not great imo, but Autopilot/AI team is rallying to improve as fast as possible.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 23, 2021
We’re trying to have a single stack for both highway & city streets, but it requires massive NN retraining.
This may have been influenced by the launch of an investigation into Tesla’s Autopilot system by US authorities last week following incidents of users’ safety being compromised.
Perhaps the gravity of the situation has shattered Tesla’s rose-tinted glasses, just a little.
[via CNBC, image via Tesla]
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