AI in Your Car: Cool Convenience or Privacy Nightmare?

Does having AI in your car help you or leave you open to serious privacy issues? This might be the case for both things to be true.

Artificial intelligence is growing rapidly, which means autonomous vehicles might not be too far behind. Will we have cars that can drive us to work, the store, or across the country without our input in the future? It’s extremely possible, but is the artificial intelligence already in your car causing your security issues or is it extremely cool?

Let’s look at the pros and cons of having AI in your car.

Con: Machines aren’t as smart as humans

Despite the thought that artificial intelligence in programming can evolve and develop on its own, this simply isn’t the case. AI is limited by the programming and data provided. This means a self-driving car might not understand what to do when faced with a situation that’s not in its programming. Self-driving cars can drive with more technical precision than humans and should eventually make things safer, but they aren’t built with the logic or instincts of human drivers.

Pro: Self-driving cars could be an accessibility solution

One of the most important uses of AI in your car could be using self-driving cars as ride-sharing vehicles that can help elderly and disabled people get around much better. This ensures people who are no longer able to drive, or might not have driven in the first place, to be able to get to the store without a family member or friend taking them there. This added level of independence and accessibility can be an important step in allowing normally home-bound people to enjoy some freedom.

Con: Job losses

The shift to autonomous vehicles is expected to disrupt some sectors, including public transport, taxi, and delivery services. This could mean widespread job losses for workers in these industries. As self-driving vehicles replace human drivers, there won’t be a need for training programs. This could be detrimental to many workers who might find it hard to adapt, especially if they have lower education levels and few transferable skills. This could mean a greater need to retrain some people to take on jobs outside of these industries.

Pro: Could be more environmentally friendly

The use of AI in your car could mean reduced emissions and less fuel and energy used while driving compared to vehicles driven by humans. Many of the autonomous vehicles being developed are fully electric vehicles, which are much friendlier to the atmosphere than gas and diesel-powered vehicles. Future recycling programs will give us a better idea regarding the long-term use of EVs, especially when you consider the negative impact mining the minerals used in EV batteries can cause to the earth.

Con: They can cause privacy and security concerns

Any vehicle that utilizes over-the-air systems and computers to drive is much more susceptible to hacking than vehicles that don’t use these systems. Autonomous vehicles bring about more security liabilities because they rely on software and more complex technologies to operate. The added requirement for programming, connectivity, and wireless technology increases the number of entry points that hackers could use to obtain access to a vehicle, gain your private information, or control of the vehicle to create havoc on roadways.

Pro: No more traffic

When self-driving cars are used more than other types of vehicles, traffic could be all but gone from the roadways. Computer-driven vehicles can drive smarter, faster, and closer together without collisions than human-driven vehicles. This could be an excellent use of AI in your car, ensuring you can get where you want to go much faster and without worry of potential accidents along the way. The increase in self-driving cars would mean fewer people would require personal vehicles, which might free up room in cities for fewer parking spaces.

AI is already present in your car

In some ways, you already have AI working in your vehicle. Despite the lack of fully autonomous vehicles on the road, many vehicles are programmed with advanced capabilities to handle some driving situations. Some examples of AI in your car include GM’s Super Cruise, Ford’s BlueCruise, and Tesla’s AutoPilot systems. Tesla also offers a Full Self Driving system, but its misnamed because it is not a self-driving system.

Despite advances in advanced technology, many drivers would rather handle the job of driving their cars. Additionally, the worry over AI becoming a privacy concern is much greater than some automakers lead us to believe. Many automakers are already collecting data and selling it to service providers, data brokers, and other companies you might not know much about.

Do you want AI in your car, or would you rather not have the potential for privacy and security risks in your vehicle?