Companies like Tesla have been very effective in creating a perception amongst the public that the self-driving car industry is heading a positive direction. But in reality, will cars ever be able to fully drive themselves?
Missy Cummings, director of the Humans and Autonomy Laboratory at Duke University, thinks not. In an interview pointedly titled “Self-driving cars might never be able to drive themselves,” she makes the argument that there are problems with the so-called “deep learning” that is requisite to support fully autonomous vehicles. What often appear to be self-driving cars are actually being monitored by a team of humans—and at that point, the driver may as well just be operating the vehicle themselves.
And at the end of the day, do we actually need self-driving cars? Are they a solution looking for a problem—or perhaps the wrong solution for problems (traffic deaths, traffic congestion, etc.) that could be solved in better, easier ways?
This week on Upzoned, host Abby Kinney and regular cohost Chuck Marohn “upzone” the conversation about self-driving cars; i.e., they examine it through the Strong Towns lens. They discuss whether or not such technology could truly address all of the sticky fiscal and socioeconomic implications that have been derived from building a world for cars. Moreover, has our fixation on automated vehicles sidelined, or even stifled, conversations about other solutions that could more immediately improve people’s lives?
Then, in the downzone, Chuck’s daughter has presented her own solution for our faulty transportation system, and Abby got to attend a local hot air balloon event.
Additional Show Notes“Self-driving cars might never be able to drive themselves,” hosted by Molly Wood, Marketplace Tech (May 2021)
Abby Kinney (Twitter)
Charles Marohn (Twitter)
Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom (Soundcloud)
Cover image via Unsplash
The Global Energy Crisis Is a Story of Fragility
A Downtown Baseball Stadium in KC: Who Pays?
CDOT‘s Proposal for Transit-Induced Pollution
Let‘s Talk Great Streets
American Cities, Through European Eyes (and Vice Versa)
We Cannot Rely on Large-Scale Development
You Need to Know About Walla Walla, Washington
The Reconnecting Communities Act: What Was Promised Vs. What's Being Delivered
Sustainable Source of Income Snatched Away from Seattle's Black Churches
Where Should We Be Focusing Climate Change Efforts?
COVID Reveals the Unsustainability of Monoculture Downtowns
Condos: American Local Governance in a Nutshell
Mayors Are Turning Talk into Action On Reparations
45,000 Bridges in the U.S. Are 50+ Years Old. And They Are Beginning to Fail.
What Comes Next, When the Freeways Are Gone?
Strong Towns Filed a Lawsuit—and the Internet Has Been Talking About It
Parking Requirements: Cheaper Driving for Costlier Development
A New Direction for Car-Dependent Orlando?
Scaling Down America
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Commercial Edge: Unleash the Power of People
The emPOWERed Half Hour
Social Dallas Podcast
Change Church Podcast
Advocacy Scoop Podcast
Six Degrees with Kevin Bacon
Nonprofits Are Messy: Lessons in Leadership | Fundraising | Board Development | Communications