Latest / Black Box Theory Podcast / Would You Trust a Car With No Steering Wheel?
Transcript
- Thomas: Man, I think it it's it's weird. You know, I just rewatched iRobot recently, and you know, actually in there they had cars that it was 2035 was the year it was based in, which I don't know if we're quite there yet. But it's pretty much like Elon's world is based on like the things I've seen from Elon Musk and what he's trying to do. but they had the cars with no steering wheels, the cars with no pedals, but they gave you an option to manually drive your vehicle, unlike these taxis. So for me, I've seen a couple, I haven't had a chance to like, you know, look at up close and really like drive next to one or like see how they perform. But I personally, maybe this will age like milk, but I'm not a fan of a car with no steering wheel, no pedals. Malcolm: no. I'm with you. I I'll never feel safe in that. Never. I Thomas: Has some Malcolm: don't care I don't care how many algorithms you have in that car. I don't care how many frickin' tests you've done. If I don't care how at the end the day, there is no way and there is just no way that you have run every possible simulation ever for things that can happen on the road. Because at the end of day, bro, this isn't even about how smart the engineers are that are behind the autonomous driving. Well the one thing I would never be able to I I don't think anybody can predict. Is the stupidity of other people on the road. And that is just not something I Thomas: Mm-hmm. Malcolm: think you can un unfortunately capture in a simulation. no, no matter how many scenarios you run. Cause I just see some stuff on the road every day. And I'm just like, bruh, how do you have a license? Why do you have a license? Who allowed you to purchase a car and drive on the same road as me? Because, wow. I mean, I don't know. And that's the part I'm Thomas: I Malcolm: scared about. Thomas: it's a lot of I've seen a lot of questionable people running stop signs, red lights concurrently. It man, it is look, I I don't I don't trust it. But like even if it were a world where everyone had a you know a a self-driving vehicle, like Malcolm: Uh-huh. Thomas: everyone, like I think that's the safest way you do this is that everyone's car is on the same track. But it's still I wouldn't have want to be in that world because There's a hu that's a huge safety risk, bro. Not even giving me the the opportunity to manually control the car. Like I don't even have the choice. It's crazy. Like, Malcolm: Yeah, it's crazy. It's crazy. Thomas: what if something happens? What if I need to get out of situation? Like, well we you know, for example, we all saw not maybe not everyone knows, but you know, a rapper was was killed in his Tesla in Chicago few last month. And Malcolm: Mm-hmm. Thomas: like I granted people are saying, he should have pulled off, he should have this, could've done. It unfortunately that's not what happened. And you know, let's just say if you're in your aut your your autonomous vehicle, it's not able to detect something coming or a person who's trying to do you harm or someone's keying your car and Malcolm: Yeah. Thomas: it's sitting there. Malcolm: Actually, th th this brings up another thing I have seen. I did see that I read somewhere that at Waymo they had actually they had did like this identification scan on this person. I don't know if you saw but like they had did this these two guys that got in Thomas: I know what you're talking about. Malcolm: the car, they had scanned if see that there was a the gun on them and they locked them in the car and did not let them get out until the authorities got involved until like nine one one pulled up. So it's like that's another angle that these autonomous vehicles could go. Like what's stopping them from partnering with Police agencies and government, the Department of Defense, to like become like these like cars that are like traps for people almost, like unsuspect. You know what I'm saying? Like, I have no idea. No, yeah, no, no. Yeah, I I know what you're talking about. Thomas: There was a show about that. What was what was it called? Was it trap car? You know what's up where they would set the traps for people like to go steal a car and they get locked in? Malcolm: I know what it's called, but like that's what I'm saying. Like that's another angle too. It's like not having that control over everything in my car. Cause like, let's say I have like my concealed carry and I am legally permitted to wear, keep a keep a gun on me and have it on me, but I am going somewhere and Waymo freaking scans me and stops me for thirty minutes and wait until nine one one comes just for me to explain to them that I I was supposed to have this. I can I'm allowed to have this on me anyway. Right. So it's like it creates an enti another kind of like set of angles and and and things that could go wrong or right. I don't know. I mean I understand it. I do think it also I think at the end of the day, I don't think they care about any of this. I think this is a way to not have to pay people. 'Cause I don't know if you see but like like like even like like one of the reasons that the Uber didn't want Mam Mamdami as New York City mayor because of this this crazy dispute they had to pay with not paying their their drivers the right rate. Like all these big companies Uber lit like they're taking more out of their share of the rides than they should be, than that the drivers are actually earning, right? So it's like this is their way of like having to remove the need to ever pay drivers at all. Right. So I don't know, scary, Thomas: Yeah. Malcolm: like I said, I I I I'm not in a city where I see those often. but even if I was, like I said, I I I I I'll take my chances with me behind the wheel over a whoever robot person controlling it from some lab somewhere. I'm okay, bro. I I'll I'll I'll I'll drop it myself, man. I'm good.