Modern-Day Oracles or Bull$#!+ Machines?

Linking to this Shorthand publication simply because it’s a great example of design. Prior to seeing it, I’d never come across Shorthand, a website builder that facilitates creating beautiful “story-websites”, the kind of things you want to bookmark and read while sitting on the couch with a cup of .

Secondly, in addition to highlighting the capabilities of the Shorthand platform, thebullshitmachines.com contains a quote that sums up why I’ve been so bearish on autonomous vehicles (e.g. my brother and I have a $50 bet on anyone achieving Level 5 autonomy by 2023…I’m taking the over):

Self-driving cars trained on millions of miles of driving can still crash into an overturned trailer truck, because such things are not commonly found in their training data, whereas humans taking their first driving class will know to stop. More than our ability to solve algebraic equations, our ability to cope with unfamiliar situations is a fundamental part of why we consider humans intelligent.
Ted Chiang

When I consider our wide-open American roadways, I don’t see us getting to Level 5 autonomy without a lot of things changing. In fact, all the changes I envision needing to happen would basically upgrade our roads to a “geo fenced” environment thereby allowing for Level 4 driving. That’s still a ways away from a Level 5 system that is able to quickly reason through unforeseen driving circumstances, circumstances that a human mind could easily assess.