Autonomous Future

Several times recently I have heard or read about the topic of driverless cars. Every time I hear this topic come up I wonder how this could possibly be real. I know that technology is constantly advancing but it makes me nervous to think that we rely on technology to do a task as important as driving a car.

As a society we have deemed that people must reach an age, sixteen, where they are responsible enough to understand all the consequences that come along with driving a car. Every time we get behind the driver's seat we have the responsibility to drive safely so that we do not harm ourselves or others on the road.  

Cars that are able to take over this important task and self drive, lesson our awareness and need to be responsible. This is a new technology and I think it will take many accidents to prove that it is not safe or ethical. Should we even wait that long to decide? If the technology fails and the person in the car is unable to stop an accident from happening people may be seriously injured or even killed. Who’s fault would these accidents be?

Ultimately, we would blame the manufacturer for any design flaws or technology failures. What about the owners of the cars? They made the decision to purchase an autonomous vehicle that is meant to think for them and instead of them. Would they also share the blame?

The future of our roadways is heading towards driverless cars. It may be a long time away before the technology is ready to spread or not. The UK will have a driverless car trial on their motorways in the year 2019. BBC had an updated report.

“The Driven consortium is led by Oxbotica, which makes software for driverless vehicles. Founder Prof Paul Newman, of Oxford University, said: "We're moving from the singleton autonomous vehicle to fleets of autonomous vehicles - and what's interesting is what data the vehicles share with one another, when, and why."The project is backed by an £8.6m government grant and involves an insurance company, which will assess the risks involved at each stage of the journey.” (BBC)

These autonomous cars are also supported by science fiction writer Calum Chace. He was quoted in the BBC article about how he believes the driverless cars will make the roads safer and be more affordable. He said "I don't know why we have to wait until 2019," he said..."It will save so many lives and so much money." (BBC) People’s safety and financial cost or gain are very important factors to consider. If it proves to be overall safer and reduce accidents than it seems to make sense to make the switch to driverless cars. However, I still can’t accept that it won’t be flawless transition and can’t help but wonder who will get hurt when those flaws arise.

It sounds like autonomous cars will not be on the market till at least 2020 according to the guardian article “Twelve things you need to know about driverless cars.” The article also discusses how drivers will have the option to drive manually or let the car drive, allowing the driver to become a passenger and do other tasks such as preparing themselves for work. The Guardian article agrees with the BBC article that roadways will be safer. Stan Boland is a CEO for FiveAI and was quoted saying

“When you eliminate human error, our roads become dramatically safer: no more drink-driving, phone calls at the wheel, carelessness, inattention or plain bad driving. Clearly there needs to be adequate industry testing to ensure that AVs are safe for all other road users, but we can look forward to far safer roads as human drivers become a thing of the past.” (Guardian)

It sounds like safety is a priority, as it should be. However, I personally don’t think I would ever be comfortable being in an autonomous car, at least not one that would have to navigate through the Chicago-land volume of traffic.

Driverless Cars

My first topic for one of my op-eds focuses on driverless cars. I've read a few different articles on the subject and also heard this new technology mentioned on the news. Supposedly these driverless cars would be safer and eliminate road accidents. I just can't wrap my head around trusting a car to drive itself. It seems like a huge responsibility to be giving away to machines. I thought this op-ed assignment would be a good opportunity to read more in depth on the subject. The technology should be ready to be on the market for consumers between 2020-2025. In theory it sounds great, more free time to read or talk on the phone. But what about when the technology fails? Would you all want a driverless vehicle?

Thoughts on Polarization

Is polarization a bad thing? Are the cable news shows contributing to our current political polarization? What do I think? These questions are harder to answer than I expected. Our country has clearly felt more divided now than ever before in my lifetime. I don’t think polarization is always a bad thing but other times it can be. I don’t know what the correct answer is or even if there is one. From what I’ve read and seen lately I can say that the current political polarization feels negative.

I don’t think I would say that the news shows are persuading viewers so much as comforting them. I think viewers like to know that people share similar views as they do and that the cable shows are a visual representation of those political viewpoints. They are also a representation of the polarization but if you took away the cable shows the polarization would still exist.

I do think that the programs can help keep citizens interested in current events. It gives people topics of discussion and can also contribute to challenging views. You might not end up changing your mind on issues but can at least consider the other side's viewpoint. Maybe the cable shows do contribute to political polarization. I’m still stuck at being unsure.

Paranoia, paranoia everybody's coming to get me

I would say that the media tends to highlight Technology, Business, and Science more than other academic fields. I think it also depends what is going on in the world. For instance environmental issues such as climate change have been in the news recently. I think some topics are presented or highlighted more frequently when they are causing controversy politically or otherwise. Technology tends to be more of a positive subject. There seems to always be new advancements or updated versions of technology and when the media features these stories it often times feels like an advertisement rather than just information.

Media outlets do not always feel neutral about topics. If you are looking for diversity in viewpoints on the same subject you may need to follow multiple news outlets. One podcast I enjoy listening to is ‘Left, Right and Center’. Whatever the political topic of the day they have opposing viewpoints and a diverse panel for the discussion. This type of panel is great because you can hear both sides of an issue without it turning into a screaming match or a heavy draining debate. I have never been good at handling conflict and so certain types of debates I find exhausting, even if I am only part of the audience.

You say you want a revolution. Well, you know we all want to change the world

Bernie Sanders
Earlier in the year Mr. Bernie Sanders came to campus. I went to hear him speak, not because I myself was a fan, but because I had heard so many others talk highly of him. Needless to say I was one of the many who jumped on the Bernie train too late. He was an amazing public speaker who was passionate about helping all citizens. Affordable health care, including pharmaceuticals, and affordable college education were just a few of his covered topics. I am currently reading his book Our Revolution and so far it is very interesting. Mr. Sanders has lived an exciting life. I think our world could benefit greatly from his ideas and experiences.

Roxane Gay (shout out to Janie for the introduction to Gay’s writing)

Last term my ethics class went and heard Roxane Gay read from several of her own books. It was a great experience. I remember thinking ‘Wow, her writing is so honest and real. She must feel vulnerable but also be alright with that’. Over spring break I read a collection of Gay’s essays in her book Bad Feminist.  I laughed and cried. She finds a way to include humor into essays that all center around serious issues. I think many women would benefit from reading her writing and I hope men would as well. Until I read her book I would not have labeled myself as a Feminist. I had thought I’m not outspoken enough to be considered a feminist and I don’t always feel as strongly about issues as maybe I should. My taste in television shows alone would be frowned upon by true Feminists. Well now I know that it’s okay to be a “Bad Feminist”. Long story short, you don’t have to be perfect yourself to want equality. Just read the book.

J.K. Rowling

I was fortunate enough to learn at a young age that friendship is important. How you treat other individuals matters. Life will not always be easy but it’s okay to ask for help and more importantly to help others. These values were taught to me by my parents but also by Ms. Rowling. Reading the Harry Potter books is one of my all time favorite activities. She found a creative way to teach millions of people the value of friendship and the need for “good” in the world. I’ll be forever grateful for all she has taught me.

Prompt #1 Contemporary Public Sphere

Social media sites have created many different types of public spheres. Some communities focus on language, such as a blog, where other communities use expression through pictures, such as Instagram. Members in these spheres can be vocal through multiple posts a day or silent participants who just read or view other members thoughts.

One of the reasons I love working on a college campus is because you get to belong to a large community that interacts in person. I’ve never loved sitting behind a computer and prefer interactions to be in person. I’d much rather take part in a public sphere in a coffee shop or community gathering than online. I do, however, appreciate the connection online spheres provides and understand they can reach a larger population. Social media does have the potential to connect people across different institutions, states,or countries. Ideas and knowledge can be spread faster and hopefully effectively. I do prefer to watch videos rather than just read a post. This way you are able to at least hear and see the emotion behind the words.

Recently, I have enjoyed being on social media sites, such as Facebook, significantly less than in the past. Social media sites are being used as an outlet for people to vent about the past election and ongoing political drama. People are fighting with “friends” and I see more negative than positive with  members of all political parties. I think sharing different viewpoints is important and necessary but the way it has happening on Facebook and other sites seems destructive instead of constructive. I hope eventually I can view social media to be tools that are beneficial when discussing important topics but for now I feel they are a public spheres that is damaging open lines of communication.