MIT professor: Google's decision to develop self-driving cars was a mistake

Automation is so attractive that some people think there should be no limit to its development. So they were frustrated when they heard about the accident of Google's self-driving car, and Google's solution was human factors. Recently, the company said that they will train self-driving cars to be like human drivers. Of course, this is the first step to achieve fully automated cars. However, a professor from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has something to say, saying that developing self-driving cars is a very stupid decision.

Recently, Professor David Mindell pointed out in an interview with MIT News that there is no evidence that driverless cars can improve parking problems.

"We need to reflect on the intention of this technological development. It should not develop towards full automation, but towards trustworthy, transparent, reliable and safe autonomy. It needs to have complete interactivity: the car does what I want it to do, and it only does it when I want it to do it."

Some people may think that self-driving cars will make roads more orderly because they can enforce speed limits and "civilized driving". In this regard, Mindell said that this is simply an absurd dream. He admitted that self-driving cars may reduce the driving burden of human drivers, but insisted that this kind of driving still has very large limitations.

Mindell pointed out that unmanned, fully autonomous submersibles were once considered the ideal equipment for underwater exploration, but it turns out that they still need humans to guide and control them. In addition, he used NASA's lunar mission as an example to support his argument. Humans once thought of letting the probe work on the moon on its own, but the reality is that astronauts need to input important instructions when the probe turns.

“While there are many high-tech systems, none of them are perfect, and humans are the glue that keeps the systems working together. Pilots need to constantly fine-tune the aircraft, identify errors, and correct the mistakes of air traffic controllers.”

Mindell even thinks Google's self-driving car is a bit outdated, calling it a product of the 20th century.

Google declined to comment on Professor Mindell's remarks.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.