<h2>Keep Left</h2>
In a bid to lead the race to fully-autonomous vehicles, China is building highways with dedicated lanes for self-driving cars.
A new 62-mile stretch of freeway will have two lanes dedicated to autonomous vehicles (AVs), <a href="https://www.futurecar.com/3114/China-Building-a-Highway-with-Dedicated-Lanes-for-Autonomous-Vehicles">according to FutureCar</a>. The idea is that the infrastructure investment will give AVs access to real-world traffic conditions — but also that the separate lanes will ensure that the still-limited AV tech is tested in a way that minimizes risk for human drivers.
<h2>Laying The Groundwork</h2>
The new highway, expected to be one of many, will run between Beijing and the Xiongan New Area in the Hebei province, FutureCar reports.
The road, slated for completion sometime next year, is expected to halve the travel time between the two areas and, thanks to integrated sensors running the length of the highway, support the AVs on their journey.
Ultimately, building new infrastructure from the ground up may be what it takes to actually jumpstart <a href="https://futurism.com/chip-maker-nvidia-bringing-ai-driving-chip-china">functional and useful AVs</a>.
READ MORE: <a href="https://thenextweb.com/cars/2019/04/15/how-chinas-new-highway-for-self-driving-cars-will-boost-its-av-ambitions/">How China’s new highway for self-driving cars will boost its AV ambitions</a> [The Next Web]
More on AVs: <a href="https://futurism.com/tesla-china-ev-track-citizens">China Forces Tesla and Other EV Makers to Turn Over Driver Data</a>

China is building AV infrastructure from the ground up.

China's rolling out dedicated highway lanes for self-driving cars

Share The Road

China is building new highways with dedicated self-driving car lanes to help usher in widespread autonomous technology. The first will be done next year.

China’s Rolling Out Dedicated Highway Lanes for Self-Driving Cars

Can’t get self-driving cars on the road without building infrastructure.

<h2>Out Run</h2>
Right now, almost all self-driving cars are supervised by a human safety driver sitting behind the wheel. Futurism <a href="https://futurism.com/waymo-one-early-rider-autonomous-vehicle">previously reported</a> that drivers working for Waymo One, the autonomous ride-hailing service, are told to stay quiet.
But now, Joe VanOflen, the operations lead at self-driving car startup Drive.ai, <a href="https://www.popsci.com/safety-driver-self-driving-car?dom=rss-default&amp;src=syn">told Popular Science</a> how he approaches working as a safety driver, sharing a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse into the industry — and highlighting the strange dynamics of babysitting an imperfect artificial intelligence.
<h2>Rad Racer</h2>
VanOflen said that when he cedes control to the autonomous vehicle&#8217;s AI, he still mimes driving just in case he needs to rush in and take over again.
&#8220;I didn&#8217;t want to waste a second getting to the controls, so I would keep a hand on the steering wheel and hover a foot over the pedals, mimicking manual driving,&#8221; VanOflen told PopSci. &#8220;They moved just as they would if I were using them — first-time passengers would peek up at me to see if I was touching anything.&#8221;
<h2>Pole Position</h2>
But when he does reclaim control over the car, it&#8217;s rarely to avoid a crash. More often than not, VanOflen says he&#8217;ll grab the wheel when a passenger gets tired of waiting for the car to switch lanes or do other things that the cars <a href="https://futurism.com/tesla-dropped-full-self-driving-mode">struggle to do</a> on their own.
&#8220;People climb into the shuttle with all kinds of wild expectations, but after their first ride — or sometimes even halfway through — they realize it’s really just another bus ride,&#8221; VanOflen said. &#8220;Then they usually go back to their activities. In most cases, that means they get buried in their cellphones.&#8221;
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.popsci.com/safety-driver-self-driving-car?dom=rss-default&amp;src=syn">What it&#8217;s really like working as a safety driver in a self-driving car</a> [Popular Science]
More on self-driving cars: <a href="https://futurism.com/florida-law-self-driving-cars">Florida Law Would Allow Self-Driving Cars With No Safety Drivers</a>

A self-driving car's human operator says he takes over when passengers get impatient

Hands-Free Conversation

A self-driving car company's operations lead shared what it's like to be the safety driver keeping an eye on an autonomous vehicle.

A Self-Driving Car’s Human Operator Says He Takes Over When Passengers Get Impatient

"I would keep a hand on the steering wheel and hover a foot over the pedals, mimicking manual driving."

<h2>Drivers Wanted</h2>
The general consensus among experts is we&#8217;re headed toward a future in which humans driving cars will <a href="https://futurism.com/elon-musk-compares-driving-a-non-autonomous-vehicle-in-2037-to-riding-a-horse-today" target="_blank" rel="noopener">seem downright archaic</a>.
In a new <a href="https://www.vox.com/2019/3/27/18194715/self-driving-cars-uber-lyft">Vox essay</a>, New York University data journalism professor Meredith Broussard disagrees.
She thinks the era of the autonomous car is far from inevitable, and not because researchers won&#8217;t be able to perfect the tech — she argues that it&#8217;s the role drivers currently play in society that we won&#8217;t be able to live without.
<h2>Safety First</h2>
On Wednesday, Vox published <a href="https://www.vox.com/2019/3/27/18226563/50-years-wrong-side-of-history-future-prediction" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hindsight 2070</a>, a series of 15 articles penned by experts in various fields, each answering the same question: &#8220;What do we do now that will be considered unthinkable in 50 years?&#8221;
Broussard was one of those experts, and she believes the existence of &#8220;unspoken social contracts&#8221; between riders and drivers will make driverless cars seem &#8220;unthinkable&#8221; to future generations.
In Vox, she describes an incident in which she witnessed a Manhattan bus driver calm an agitated passenger.
&#8220;The simple explanation for why this situation didn’t escalate: the unspoken social contract of the bus driver’s authority in this space,&#8221; she wrote.
Essentially, she argues that having someone &#8220;in charge&#8221; makes public transportation feel safer, especially for marginalized groups.
&#8220;It doesn’t feel safe to imagine riding in a shared driverless vehicle&#8230; because it doesn’t feel safe to be alone in a small, enclosed space with strange men,&#8221; she wrote.
<h2>Just Say No</h2>
Broussard&#8217;s Vox piece doesn&#8217;t cite any studies establishing the role drivers play in keeping shared transportation safe or at least safe-feeling, but her anecdotal evidence is thought-provoking.
Today, much of the autonomous car conversation is focused on when we&#8217;ll <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/tesla-demo-full-self-driving" target="_blank" rel="noopener">perfect the tech</a>, with occasional diversions to discuss how the vehicles might <a href="https://futurism.com/expert-self-driving-cars-will-eliminate-traffic-jams-by-2030" target="_blank" rel="noopener">impact traffic</a>, <a href="https://futurism.com/elon-musk-people-skeptical-of-autonomous-cars-are-essentially-killing-people" target="_blank" rel="noopener">decrease accidents</a>, or <a href="https://futurism.com/futurist-by-2030-autonomous-cars-will-destroy-a-host-of-jobs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">increase unemployment</a>.
The idea that a driverless future will make passengers feel less safe from the threat of other people isn&#8217;t talked about much, if at all —  but Broussard thinks we&#8217;ll soon realize that it&#8217;s a discussion we should have been having all along.
&#8220;In 50 years, we’ll likely regret spending so much on this futile, antisocial endeavor,&#8221; she wrote for Vox. &#8220;It’s time to collectively say no to the fantasy of the driverless car and invest in making our existing transportation systems better.&#8221;
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.vox.com/2019/3/27/18194715/self-driving-cars-uber-lyft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Self-driving cars will be considered unthinkable 50 years from now</a> [Vox]
More on self-driving cars: <a href="https://futurism.com/elon-musk-compares-driving-a-non-autonomous-vehicle-in-2037-to-riding-a-horse-today" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Elon Musk Compares Driving a Non-Autonomous Vehicle in 2037 to Riding a Horse Today</a>

We need drivers to be in charge, she claims.

Expert: In 50 years, self-driving cars will be "unthinkable"

Road Regrets

Self-driving cars will disrupt carefully constructed social contracts, claims New York University data journalism professor Meredith Broussard.

Expert: In 50 Years, Self-Driving Cars Will Be “Unthinkable”

"It doesn’t feel safe to imagine riding in a shared driverless vehicle."

<h2>Take the Wheel</h2>
Even today&#8217;s most advanced autonomous vehicles (AVs) can&#8217;t navigate roads with the same ease as human drivers. Sure, they might do fine on a long stretch of highway, but the vehicles often <a href="https://futurism.com/waymo-one-early-rider-autonomous-vehicle" target="_blank" rel="noopener">falter</a> in the face of <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-09-17/self-driving-cars-still-can-t-handle-bad-weather" target="_blank" rel="noopener">inclement weather</a>, <a href="https://www.ibj.com/articles/70135-human-unpredictability-delays-progress-for-self-driving-car-interests" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unpredictable pedestrians</a>, or <a href="https://qz.com/1397504/all-the-things-that-still-baffle-self-driving-cars-starting-with-seagulls/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">even birds and shadows</a>.
Now, Oregon-based startup Designated Driver has created a system, <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/designated-driver-teleoperations-self-driving-cars/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to Wired</a>, that allows certified human drivers to take remote control of an AV if it malfunctions or encounters a tricky situation — meaning we might not have to wait for developers to perfect driverless technology before we can start riding in relatively safe AVs.
<h2>Triple Threat</h2>
Designated Driver&#8217;s teleoperations system comprises three parts, according to the <a href="https://designateddriver.ai/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">company&#8217;s website</a>.
The first is an in-vehicle hardware and software kit that attaches to the vehicle.
The second is a driver station hardware and software kit. This consists of a series of six screens that display feeds from the AV&#8217;s cameras, as well as all the hardware a remote driver needs to control the vehicle, including a steering wheel.
The third is the certified teleoperators themselves, which Designated Driver can provide as a service.
<h2>Healthy Competition</h2>
Right now, Designated Driver has just <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/designated-driver-launches-teleoperation-solution-announces-first-customer-300813814.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one customer</a> — robotics and autonomous tech supplier AutonomouStuff — but the company&#8217;s CEO Manuela Papadopol and CTO Walter Sullivan told Wired it hopes to secure 20 percent of the teleoperations market in the next few years.
That might be a challenge considering the startup already has significant competition in the teleoperations space — everyone from <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/phantom-teleops/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Waymo to General Motors to Uber</a> is working on their own systems.
But whether Designated Driver meets its market share goal or not, it&#8217;s not hard to imagine <a href="https://www.automobilemag.com/news/autonomous-assistance/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AV teleoperator</a> being one of the fastest growing occupations of the future.
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/designated-driver-teleoperations-self-driving-cars/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">THE WAR TO REMOTELY CONTROL SELF-DRIVING CARS HEATS UP</a> [Wired]
More on self-driving cars: <a href="https://futurism.com/waymo-one-early-rider-autonomous-vehicle" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Exclusive: A Waymo One Rider’s Experiences Highlight Autonomous Rideshare’s Shortcomings</a>

The service could let us take advantage of AVs while manufacturers perfect the tech.

This startup pays humans to remotely operate "driverless" cars

Drivers Wanted

Designated Driver's teleoperations system allows a human driver to remotely control a self-driving car if it malfunctions or encounters a tricky situation.

This Startup Pays Humans to Remotely Operate “Driverless” Cars

The remote operator takes over when the AV is stumped.

<h2>Crash Cam</h2>
New dashcam footage shows a Tesla Model 3, with Autopilot switched on, veering towards a highway divider.
The video, recorded Tuesday and <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/teslamotors/comments/b36x27/its_back_after_6_months_of_working_fine_2019515/?utm_source=share&amp;utm_medium=web2x">shared to Reddit</a> on Wednesday, shows the Tesla&#8217;s semi-autonomous Autopilot mode correctly avoiding the divider several times before a final run where the car steers toward the metal barrier so severely that the driver needs to intervene.
<blockquote class="reddit-card" > <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/teslamotors/comments/b36x27/its_back_after_6_months_of_working_fine_2019515/?ref_source=embed&amp;ref=share">It&#8217;s BACK! After 6 months of working fine, 2019.5.15 drives at barriers again</a> from <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/teslamotors/">teslamotors</a> </blockquote>
 <script async src="https://embed.redditmedia.com/widgets/platform.js" charset="UTF-8"></script>
<h2>Repeated Incidents</h2>
Even worse, this problem isn&#8217;t new.
Tesla drivers have been recording this particular Autopilot behavior for months — Ars Technica <a href="https://arstechnica.com/cars/2019/03/dashcam-video-shows-tesla-steering-toward-lane-divider-again/">provided a timeline</a> of concerned drivers whose Teslas had driven toward highway dividers as far back as last April.
In <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVJSjeHDvfY&amp;feature=youtu.be&amp;t=21">one video from April</a>, a Tesla driver demonstrates his car&#8217;s Autopilot steering him towards a highway divider where an autopilot-enabled Tesla Model X crashed just days prior, <a href="https://abc7news.com/automotive/i-team-exclusive-victim-who-died-in-tesla-crash-had-complained-about-autopilot/3275600/">killing its driver</a>. Another video <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/teslamotors/comments/9pkvy0/psa_v9_still_has_barrier_lust/">shared to Reddit</a> in October corroborates those stories.
Ars Technica reached out to Tesla for comment, but did not hear back as of March 22, when it ran its story about the Autopilot errors.
<iframe width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VVJSjeHDvfY?start=21&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<h2>Bringing Up The Rear</h2>
According to research firm Navigant Research, Tesla&#8217;s self-driving car technology <a href="https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-self-driving-race-navigant-results-2019/">ranks 19th out of the 20</a> autonomous vehicle companies that it evaluated, only beating out Apple&#8217;s <a href="https://futurism.com/apple-facial-recognition-car">mostly-gutted autonomous vehicle division</a>.
In the past, a number of car crashes have been chalked up to Tesla drivers <a href="https://futurism.com/tesla-crash-confused-autonomous-autopilot">not understanding the limitations</a> of the optimistically-titled Autopilot mode. Given the prevalence of this dangerous bug, drivers would be wise to be more cautious than ever before letting their semi-autonomous vehicles take the wheel.
READ MORE: <a href="https://arstechnica.com/cars/2019/03/dashcam-video-shows-tesla-steering-toward-lane-divider-again/">Dashcam video shows Tesla steering toward lane divider—again</a> [Ars Technica]
More on autopilot: <a href="https://futurism.com/tesla-dropped-full-self-driving-mode">Tesla Just Dropped “Full Self-Driving” Mode From the Model 3</a>

Drivers have been encountering this dangerous bug for a year now.

Video shows Tesla autopilot steering toward highway barriers

Dangerous Autonomy

New video footage shows that a dangerous problem with the Tesla Autopilot system that makes cars veer towards highway dividers is still happening.

Video Shows Tesla Autopilot Steering Toward Highway Barriers

This isn't the first time Tesla's AI veered off course.

<h2>Corroborating Stories</h2>
Donald Trump has aligned himself with the <a href="https://futurism.com/americans-trust-self-driving-cars">71 percent of Americans</a> wary of self-driving cars, reportedly telling a number of people he doesn&#8217;t trust autonomous vehicle tech, <a href="https://www.axios.com/trump-hates-self-driving-cars-autonomous-vehicles-be21a19a-e666-4001-9e24-f908261aa5f5.html">according to Axios</a>.
Axios spoke to four anonymous sources who all heard Trump say he doesn&#8217;t believe self-driving technology will ever be perfected.
When a fellow golf club member expressed excitement for the self-driving capabilities of his new Tesla, the club member told Axios Trump replied by saying: &#8220;Yeah that&#8217;s cool but I would never get in a self-driving car&#8230; I don&#8217;t trust some computer to drive me around.&#8221;
<h2>Incongruous Stance</h2>
Trump&#8217;s comments come as a surprise, given his administration&#8217;s <a href="https://futurism.com/the-u-s-is-reshaping-the-future-of-self-driving-vehicles">push to relax regulations</a> and speed up the rate at which companies can develop and test self-driving vehicles. But apparently his own administration&#8217;s efforts aren&#8217;t enough for Trump to relinquish control over his golf cart&#8217;s steering wheel.
&#8220;You know when he&#8217;s telling a story, and he does the hand motions,&#8221; one source told Axios in regards to Trump&#8217;s comments. &#8220;He says, &#8216;Can you imagine, you&#8217;re sitting in the back seat and all of a sudden this car is zig-zagging around the corner and you can&#8217;t stop the fucking thing?'&#8221;
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.axios.com/trump-hates-self-driving-cars-autonomous-vehicles-be21a19a-e666-4001-9e24-f908261aa5f5.html">Scoop: Trump hates &#8220;crazy&#8221; driverless cars</a> [Axios]
More on self-driving cars: <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/teens-self-driving-cars">Poll: Cool Teens Think Self-Driving Cars Are Totally Lame</a>

Trump fears self-driving cars: "You can't stop the f*cking thing"

MAVGA

Donald Trump reportedly told several people that he believes self-driving cars will never work, despite his administration's push to develop them.

The President reportedly said "I don't trust some computer to drive me around."

Trump Fears Self-Driving Cars: “You Can’t Stop the F*cking Thing”

<h2>Poor Turnout</h2>
While tech companies like Waymo, Uber, and Tesla race to be the first to build a fully-autonomous vehicle, the public is <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/teens-self-driving-cars">left eating their dust</a>.
About 71 percent of Americans say that they don&#8217;t trust self-driving cars, according to a new American Automobile Association (AAA) survey. That&#8217;s roughly the same percentage as last year&#8217;s survey, but it&#8217;s eight points higher than in 2017, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-14/americans-still-fear-self-driving-cars">according to </a><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-14/americans-still-fear-self-driving-cars">Bloomberg</a> — and just 19 percent say they&#8217;d put their children or family members into an autonomous vehicle.
Overall, the data is a striking sign of public fatigue with self-driving cars.
<h2>Track Record</h2>
Autonomous vehicles, unlike some other emerging technologies, have suffered <a href="https://futurism.com/waymo-safety-data-trust-numbers">very public setbacks</a>, including when an Uber vehicle <a href="https://futurism.com/self-driving-fatality-preventable-uber">struck and killed a pedestrian</a> a year ago.
&#8220;It&#8217;s possible that the sustained level of fear is rooted in a heightened focus, whether good or bad, on incidents involving these types of vehicles,&#8221; said AAA director of automotive engineering Greg Brannon in a statement obtained by Bloomberg. &#8220;Also it could simply be due to a fear of the unknown.&#8221;
<h2>Uphill Battle</h2>
The AAA survey found that Americans are more accepting of autonomous vehicle tech in limited-use cases. For example, 53 percent of survey respondents were okay with self-driving trams or shuttles being used in areas like theme parks, while 44 percent accepted the idea of autonomous food-delivery bots.
Self-driving car companies are currently engaging in public relations efforts to earn people&#8217;s trust, Bloomberg reports. But if these AAA numbers are any indication, there&#8217;s a long way to go.
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/hyperdrive">Americans Still Fear Self-Driving Cars</a> [Bloomberg]
More on autonomous vehicles: <a href="https://futurism.com/waymo-one-early-rider-autonomous-vehicle?preview=true&amp;id=149198&amp;post_type=post&amp;_wpnonce=9b310ae93e">Exclusive: A Waymo One Rider’s Experiences Highlight Autonomous Rideshare’s Shortcomings</a>

Before autonomous vehicles hit the road, they'll have to solve more than just technological challenges.

Just 19 percent of Americans trust self-driving cars with kids

Public Trust

A new survey by AAA shows that most Americans distrust self-driving cars. In the past two years, public trust in the emerging technology has gone down.

Just 19 Percent of Americans Trust Self-Driving Cars With Kids

Fear of the unknown meets well-publicized crashes.

<h2>No Basis</h2>
On March 18, an Uber in self-driving mode <a href="https://futurism.com/ubers-self-driving-car-just-killed-pedestrian/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">struck and killed a pedestrian</a> in Tempe, Arizona.
Uber reached a <a href="https://futurism.com/uber-settlement-autonomous-vehicle-victim" target="_blank" rel="noopener">settlement</a> with the pedestrian&#8217;s family within weeks, but there was still a lingering chance the company could face criminal charges for her death.
Now, it doesn&#8217;t seem like that will happen. On Tuesday, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-uber-crash-autonomous/uber-not-criminally-liable-in-fatal-2018-arizona-self-driving-crash-prosecutors-idUSKCN1QM2O8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">prosecutors said</a> they found &#8220;no basis for criminal liability&#8221; for Uber — possibly setting a precedent for future litigation involving autonomous vehicles.
<h2>Uber Cleared</h2>
Tempe is in Maricopa County, but because the county had an existing relationship with Uber, the Maricopa County Attorney&#8217;s Office (MCAO) asked the Yavapai County Attorney&#8217;s Office (YCAO) to review the case to avoid any conflict of interest.
On Tuesday, the YCAO made public a letter it sent to the MCAO.
&#8220;After a very thorough review of all the evidence presented,&#8221; wrote the YCAO, &#8220;this Office has determined that there is no basis for criminal liability for the Uber corporation arising from this matter.&#8221;
Uber could still be forced to pay damages through a civil lawsuit, however, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/03/06/700801945/uber-not-criminally-liable-in-death-of-woman-hit-by-self-driving-car-says-prosec">according to NPR </a>.
<h2>Driver Liability</h2>
Uber itself might not be criminally liable for the pedestrian fatality, but Rafaela Vasquez — the Uber safety driver who <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/uber-driver-rafaela-vasquez-watching-hulu-before-fatal-collision-2018-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">police say</a> was watching a television show on her phone around the time of the accident — might be.
The YCAO recommended in its letter that the MCAO have an expert analyze video of the accident to determine &#8220;what (and when) the person sitting in the driver’s seat of the vehicle would or should have seen that night given the vehicle’s speed, lighting conditions, and other relevant factors.&#8221;
According to a police report <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-uber-selfdriving-crash/uber-driver-was-streaming-hulu-show-just-before-self-driving-car-crash-police-report-idUSKBN1JI0LB" target="_blank" rel="noopener">obtained by Reuters</a> in June, Vasquez could face a charge of vehicle manslaughter for her involvement in the accident.
<h2>Legal Woes</h2>
Self-driving cars are still in their technological infancy, and perfecting the tech behind them is just one hurdle to mainstream adoption — society will also need to address a host of related issues, including determining <a href="https://futurism.com/who-responsible-when-self-driving-car-accident" target="_blank" rel="noopener">who&#8217;s liable</a> if a self-driving car is involved in an accident.
Given that Uber still relies on safety drivers to prevent accidents like the one that took place last year, it&#8217;s not hard to see why prosecutors might choose to press criminal charges against the driver and not the company.
But one day there likely won&#8217;t be a driver behind the wheel. Would Uber have been criminally liable if that had been the case? And what if a company&#8217;s self-driving car relies on tech created by another company — do they share responsibility for any accidents?
Right now, there are far more questions about self-driving cars than answers, so there&#8217;s a chance the ultimate legal outcome of this first fatality involving an autonomous vehicle could shape how we respond to future cases when they <a href="https://futurism.com/autonomous-cars-kill-save-lives" target="_blank" rel="noopener">almost inevitably</a> crop up.
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-uber-crash-autonomous/uber-not-criminally-liable-in-fatal-2018-arizona-self-driving-crash-prosecutors-idUSKCN1QM2O8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Uber Not Criminally Liable in Fatal 2018 Arizona Self-Driving Crash: Prosecutors</a> [Reuters]
More on Uber: <a href="https://futurism.com/uber-settlement-autonomous-vehicle-victim" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Uber Settles with Family of AV Crash Victim</a>

Prosecutors: Uber isn't criminally liable for self-driving car death

Car Case

Uber is not criminally liable for a March 2018 self-driving car death, say prosecutors, but the safety driver behind the wheel might still face charges.

Prosecutors: Uber Isn’t Criminally Liable for Self-Driving Car Death

But the safety driver might face criminal charges.

<h2>BattleTanx</h2>
The U.S. Army just called on experts in the field to help it develop technology that would allow a ground combat vehicle like a tank to <a href="https://www.fbo.gov/index.php?s=opportunity&amp;mode=form&amp;id=29a4aed941e7e87b7af89c46b165a091&amp;tab=core&amp;_cview=0">automatically detect, target, and engage</a> enemy combatants.
The Advanced Targeting and Lethality Automated System (ATLAS) would theoretically give a tank the ability to do everything necessary to take down a target except pull the trigger — a human operator will still need to actually fire, <a href="https://qz.com/1558841/us-army-developing-ai-powered-autonomous-weapons/">according to Quartz</a>.
<h2>Trigger Discipline</h2>
Around the world, 26 countries have called to <a href="https://futureoflife.org/2018/04/30/lethal-autonomous-weapons-an-update-from-the-united-nations/?cn-reloaded=1">ban fully-autonomous weapons</a>. But the U.S., with support from contractors like Boeing, has continued to develop <a href="https://futurism.com/boeing-unveils-autonomous-fighter-jet">AI-powered military technology</a> with the aim of automating the battlefield. For now, human operators are still required by law to be the ones making the final decision to fire.
&#8220;It looks very much as if we are heading into an arms race where the current ban on full lethal autonomy will be dropped as soon as it&#8217;s politically convenient to do so,&#8221; UC Berkeley computer scientist Stuart Russell told Quartz.
<h2>Robotic Precision</h2>
The point of ATLAS, from the Army&#8217;s point of view, is to make combat more efficient.
&#8220;Anytime you can shave off even fractions of a second, that&#8217;s valuable,&#8221; Paul Scharre, program director at a national security think tank called the Center for New American Security, told Quartz. &#8220;A lot of engagement decisions in warfare are very compressed in time. If you&#8217;re in a tank and you see the enemy&#8217;s tank, they probably can also see you. And if you&#8217;re in range to hit them, they&#8217;re probably in range to hit you.&#8221;
READ MORE: <a href="https://qz.com/1558841/us-army-developing-ai-powered-autonomous-weapons/">The US Army wants to turn tanks into AI-powered killing machines</a> [Quartz]
More on autonomous military technology: <a href="https://futurism.com/the-military-just-demoed-an-f-16-that-flies-and-executes-strikes-by-itself">The Military Just Demoed an F-16 That Flies and Executes Strikes by Itself</a>

"It looks very much as if we are heading into an arms race where the current ban on full lethal autonomy will be dropped as soon as it's politically convenient to do so."

The military wants to build deadly AI-controlled tanks

Robo Tanks

The U.S. Army just put out a call for experts to help it develop autonomous targeting systems for ground combat vehicles like tanks.

The Military Wants to Build Deadly AI-Controlled Tanks

Project ATLAS would lead to the first autonomous ground combat vehicles.

<h2>Bot Gun</h2>
Military contractor Boeing announced Wednesday that it is developing an autonomous fighter jet plane that it plans to sell to customers around the world.
The company plans to fly the pilot-free plane, dubbed the Boeing Airpower Teaming System, sometime in 2020. While the company says it can design the plane according to a given customers needs, the autonomous jet may be particularly well-suited for long-distance surveillance missions that a human pilot may not be able to perform, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/australia-airshow-boeing-unmanned/boeing-unveils-unmanned-combat-jet-developed-in-australia-idUSL3N20K01O">according to Reuters.</a>
<h2>Remote Control</h2>
Though Boeing declined to share its new plane&#8217;s top speed with Reuters, an autonomous vehicle would feasibly be able to travel faster and farther than a human pilot&#8217;s physiology would allow, opening the door to new types of missions.
&#8220;To bring that extra component and the advantage of unmanned capability, you can accept a higher level of risk,&#8221; Shane Arnott, director of Boeing research, told Reuters.
<h2>Flexible Machines</h2>
Though Boeing has close ties with the U.S. military, the company reportedly plans to sell its autonomous jet to customers world-wide. The U.S. Air Force has already discussed plans to complement crewed jets <a href="https://futurism.com/the-military-just-demoed-an-f-16-that-flies-and-executes-strikes-by-itself">with autonomous systems</a>, Reuters reports, but other countries would be able to use the Boeing Airpower Teaming System in other ways as well.
&#8220;We didn&#8217;t design this as a point solution but a very flexible solution that we could outfit with payloads, sensors, different mission sets to complement whatever their fleet is,&#8221; Kristin Robertson, VP of Boeing Autonomous Systems, told Reuters. &#8220;Don&#8217;t think of it as a specific product that is tailored to do only one mission.&#8221;
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/australia-airshow-boeing-unmanned/boeing-unveils-unmanned-combat-jet-developed-in-australia-idUSL3N20K01O">Boeing unveils unmanned combat jet developed in Australia</a> [Reuters]
More on autonomous vehicles: <a href="https://futurism.com/uk-autonomous-killer-robots">The UK Is Developing Autonomous Killer Robots</a>

"To bring that extra component and the advantage of unmanned capability, you can accept a higher level of risk."

Death from above: Boeing unveils autonomous fighter jet

Autopilot

Boeing just announced that its autonomous fighter jet, the Boeing Airpower Teaming System, will first take flight sometime next year.

/Autonomous Vehicles