AI has captivated the imagination of netizens with ChatGPT writing assignments, poems and codes, while answering questions like human beings. Although inaccuracies online could result in embarrassment or meme-worthy moments, AI making errors on the road can have serious consequences.
American carmaker General Motors has recalled 300 of its Cruise self-driving vehicles, weeks after one of them crashed into a bus in San Francisco.
Serious errors in judgment
The smart cars have been pulled off the road to update the software, which made a mistake in predicting the movement of the bus.
The firm has realised that the AI is likely to get the moves of articulated vehicles wrong, and is fixing the glitch for road safety.
The firm has admitted that the bus was moving in a natural way, but it was the driverless car that applied brakes too late and hit the rear bumper.
Repeat offender AI?
The crash late in March 2023, was one more instance of a crash by a Cruise smart car after an accident in June 2022 led to 80 cars being recalled.
After people were injured in the crash, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also probed the software's error in predicting the path of a vehicle approaching it.
The NHTSA stepped in after complaints about GM Cruise cars applying brakes too hard.
Offering robotaxis in San Francisco since last year before expansion into Austin, Texas, GM's Cruise unit has been making losses but hopes to hit $1 billion in revenue by 2025.
(To receive our E-paper on WhatsApp daily, please click here. To receive it on Telegram, please click here. We permit sharing of the paper's PDF on WhatsApp and other social media platforms.)
