The words from Elon's mouth make a clear separation between Autopilot as a driver assist system, and FSD as autonomy.
Furthermore, Autopilot constantly reminds you while driving. There is zero confusion.
I think for many general laypeople (not the HN tech-oriented), there IS confusion. It is also not helped by Tesla's marketing, such as naming the system "autopilot" which has a different colloquial meaning than may be understood in engineering circles. Note how most other manufacturers are generally prefer naming their systems some variant of "driver assist" or "cruise control"
And Wikipedia: "Autopilots do not replace human operators. Instead, the autopilot assists the operator's control of the vehicle"
That's why I was careful to say the colloquial definition. IMO this is also why other companies deliberately name their systems something like "driver assist". It errs on the side of removing ambiguity.
The colloquial definition is generally much more aligned with "operating without having to focus on the task at hand." I don't think Tesla wants their drivers to operate the car without focusing on the act of driving because it has an "autopilot" feature.
And its solely tesla's fault for all mis-information for sake of PR, that muddied the water around issue of responsibility.
'Driver assist' leave very little to argue/interpret who is charge of driving.
> Current Autopilot features require active driver supervision and do not make the vehicle autonomous. (Control-F of this quote gets you there)
EDIT: You must also acknowledge that you remain in control of the vehicle when activating Autopilot within the vehicle: https://www.tesla.com/sites/default/files/images/autosteer-e...
You're also reminded each and every time you activate Autosteer.
Most of the way down a long page, in faint small text in the middle of a blurb. Nothing could possibly scream "we don't want you to read this, but we're required to put it in so that we and our fans can continue to make bad-faith defenses of our marketing program" more.
on pg 39 of purchase contract its clearly stated its a bicycle for now as we are still developing our Car (tm) to be a car.
Tell me how is that different to calling a driver assist a Autopilot as it aspires to be an autopilot but for now its just a driver assist called Autopilot*.
Also, Autopilot on Wikipedia: "An autopilot is a system used to control the path of an aircraft, car, marine craft or spacecraft without requiring constant manual control by a human operator. Autopilots do not replace human operators. Instead, the autopilot assists the operator's control of the vehicle, allowing the operator to focus on broader aspects of operations (for example, monitoring the trajectory, weather and on-board systems)."
Again: "Autopilots do not replace human operators. Instead, the autopilot assists the operator's control of the vehicle"
I am not interested in PR style discussions with technicalities being used as a scapegoat points.
Its entirely unproductive and should be strictly reserved to cable news programs.
If i buy strawberry ice-cream in strawberry ice-cream packaging I dont give a fuck that there is a sign on the back of package saying this is frozen broccoli.
Hiding behind legalese and specific wording is the textbook definition of misleading.
How would you feel if i sold you an "apple peeler" and made you sign a legal agreement where i stated that the "apple peeler" was not capable of peeling apples today but at some indeterminate point in the future? Is that not misleading?
Why are you arguing semantics for a scummy corporate?
Wikipedia: "An autopilot is a system used to control the path of an aircraft, car, marine craft or spacecraft without requiring constant manual control by a human operator. Autopilots do not replace human operators. Instead, the autopilot assists the operator's control of the vehicle, allowing the operator to focus on broader aspects of operations (for example, monitoring the trajectory, weather and on-board systems)."
Automatic: From Greek automatos, ‘acting of itself’
Pilot: early 16th century (denoting a person who steers a ship): from French pilote, from medieval Latin pilotus, an alteration of pedota, based on Greek pēdon ‘oar’, (plural) ‘rudder
The future use of these features without supervision is dependent on achieving reliability far in excess of human drivers as demonstrated by billions of miles of experience, as well as regulatory approval, which may take longer in some jurisdictions. As these self-driving capabilities are introduced, your car will be continuously upgraded through over-the-air software updates.
Their page on their own website[1] for the autopilot has a video which starts with the words "The person in the driver's seat is only there for legal reasons. He is not doing anything. The car is driving itself." Followed by a video of a tesla driving itself on public roads with other cars around while the person's hands are not on the wheel.
While they have those disclaimers, they are only there to try to protect themselves from liability. But their marketing, and especially the words from Elon's mouth, are 100% geared towards making the consumer believe that the system is capable of driving itself.
They can claim they told the driver to always be in charge, but there's no way (in my eyes) that they can do that with a straight face. "You gotta keep your hands on the wheel and always be in charge wink."
[1]: https://www.tesla.com/autopilot