Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak stated during a speech at a recent conference that he’s not sure if autonomous cars will be viable in his lifetime.
Automotive News reports that during a recent discussion at the J.D. Power Auto Revolution conference in Las Vegas last week, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak discussed his view on self-driving cars stating that he has “really given up” on the idea of fully autonomous cars. “I stepped way back [on] this idea of Level 5. I’ve really given up,” Wozniak stated. “I don’t even know if that will happen in my lifetime.”
Wozniak has previously been a proponent of self-driving car technology, believing at one point that Apple would be working on the technology but has since become doubtful of the technology, openly discussing his issues with the concept since 2017.
“What we’ve done is we’ve misled the public into thinking this car is going to be like a human brain to be able to really figure out new things and say, ‘Here’s something I hadn’t seen before, but I know what’s going on here, and here’s how I should handle it,’” Wozniak explained. “A human can do that.”
Automotive website The Truth About Cars discussed the legitimacy of Wozniak’s comments stating:
While brutal, that’s a rather fair assessment of the industry up until recently. Automakers have spent years aggressively promoting autonomous driving technologies, with several promising Level 5 would be available before 2021. Granted, some of the new driver assistance features are rather impressive. But they’re frequently undone by a little roadway grime making its way onto the sensors, some inclement weather, or a little roadwork.
Meanwhile, companies on the cutting edge of self-driving claim they need more testing in various climates before vehicles can be rolled out for commercial use. Personal AVs are even further out, with many worried they’ll never come.
Waymo CEO John Krafcik is probably heading the company that’s the closest to having a reliable self-driving vehicle right now. But even he has reservations. In 2018, Krafcik said he believed vehicular autonomy will always have “some constraints.”
Wozniak further noted at the conference that self-driving technology would be easier if roads were more predictable. “[It would be easier] if we were to modify roads and have certain sections that are well mapped and kept clean of refuse, and nothing unusual happens and there’s no road work,” Wozniak stated.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan or email him at lnolan@breitbart.com
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