Many people – the media and talking heads, in particular – are clinging to straws with the latest so-called “reminder”. Headlines like “Tesla recalls 54,000 vehicles likely to disobey stop signs” and claims that Tesla is programming vehicles to perform illegal activities are an incredible stretch. This is one of the reasons why what Elon Musk said recently about the media is still true. They have been writing misleading articles about him and his businesses for years.
They’ve been writing fake articles about Tesla (and me) for years. In the end, it is their own credibility that suffers.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 31, 2022
In the tweet above, the Associated press I wanted to interview my friend and blogger, Gail Alfar, regarding her recent interactions with Elon Musk over a petition from an anonymous person. The petition, which has been signed by more than 42,000 people, asks President Biden to recognize Tesla’s leadership in electric vehicles.
Gael and the PA the writer had a public conversation, but he wanted to message her privately. She explained that she wanted to keep all communications public for transparency, and then he later posted this article about the petition while painting her and the others who signed up as “Tesla loyalists.”
If you look at the meaning of the loyalist world, it describes a person who wants “remain loyal to the ruler or established government, especially in the face of revolt.” Why was this particular term used to describe people who support a company that makes cars and solar panels? Does this writer see us as the enemy? Are we at war? Or was he trying to insult Gail for wanting to keep the conversation open for transparency?
Many journalists tend to care about drama and make a quick buck with sensational headlines. Money may be good, but is it worth it?
NHTSA is issuing a safety recall on all Tesla FSD beta cars because they can perform a rolling stop. This is going to be a really tricky subject. Yes, rolling stops are illegal. The speed too. But maybe matching human behavior is better than legal accuracy. https://t.co/oCmJBvDQBM
— QuinnNelson.egg (@SnazzyQ) February 1, 2022
The main problem is that Tesla’s artificial intelligence is evolving so well that it’s starting to mimic human behavior – and unfortunately, humans aren’t precisely following the letter of the law. Quinn Nelson pointed this out and it should serve as a reminder to anyone reporting on this topic that we need to be fair in reporting on these topics.
As someone said yesterday, if an OTA update is a recall, then every iPhone security update is too. Be with the times @NHTSAgov: if cars do not need convenient service, this is an update, not a recall.
— Scott Wainner (@scottwww) February 2, 2022
Yes, it is illegal to perform a rolling stop. Yes, Tesla’s FSD has started doing this in one of its (“assertive”) driver settings because there are places where everyone drives like that. Yes, Tesla dropped the feature with an over-the-air update. As it stands, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration wants Tesla to call these types of updates “reminders” instead of just announcing them as software updates. And that’s why the mainstream media jumps on it like a shark would an injured person in the ocean.
Eventually, the public may get so tired of hearing the word “reminder” on minor software updates that they may assume something is just another live update when there’s a recall. real (where the vehicle needs to be put into service to fix a safety issue), and it could be dangerous. NHTSA becomes the child who cries wolf every time Tesla releases an over-the-air update to fix a potential problem.
I agree with Quinn’s point of view. This is going to be a tricky subject, and as Tesla continues to progress towards Levels 4 and 5 FSD (Full Self Driving), we’ll start to see the AI become more human-like. That shouldn’t necessarily scare you off, though. The AI won’t think “Well, I’m in a hurry and no one will notice.” then do something random. He will not be overtaken by the text messages to the point of missing a pedestrian crossing in front of him. And he won’t be emotionally tied to any storyline. It will still be necessary to make sure to check that the way is clear before moving forward.
I truly believe that those who cover Tesla with the intention of not telling the real story but rather painting negative-toned narratives in order to make money are hanging on to straws with this whole “recall” story .
Editor’s note: I would normally think this is more of a non-story than anything, but over the past few days 1) another Tesla owner asked me if I should do the reminder, not realizing it was just a software update (and she was apparently a bit worried that it was more than it was); and 2) I heard a segment of a morning radio talk show in which the host flatly opposed Tesla FSD for apparently flying over stop signs (it was unclear if he knew that the feature offered slow stops like I’m sure he and everyone listens to play every day). His few minutes on this topic also talked about phantom braking and overall made Teslas super scary. Interestingly, while he absolutely does not want Tesla at all and isn’t into a broader development of self-driving (he also objected to a GM Super Cruise ad), his 81-year-old father has a new Tesla Model S.
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