Tesla's director of software admits 2016 Autopilot demo video was staged

[midian182]

WTF?! Remember the video Tesla released in 2016 that showed off the Autopilot driver-assist system, including its ability to stop at a red traffic light and move away once it turned green? According to Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla's director of Autopilot software, the video was staged.

In a recent deposition for a lawsuit against Tesla filed by the family of Wei "Walter" Huang, who died in 2018 when his Model X crashed into a highway barrier while autopilot was engaged, Elluswamy said the video's intent was "not to accurately portray what was available for customers in 2016. It was to portray what was possible to build into the system."

The video starts with a tagline that reads, "The person in the driver's seat is only there for legal reasons. He is not doing anything. The car is driving itself."

The clip shows the Tesla Model X stopping at junctions and obeying traffic lights, even though Elluswamy admitted that Autopilot at the time had "no traffic-light-handling capability." He also said the demo was "specific to some predetermined route" rather than using data from the vehicle's cameras and sensors. "It was using additional premapped information to drive," he said.

The video was created using 3D mapping on the predetermined route from a house in Menlo Park, California, to Palo Alto. Elluswamy said drivers intervened to take control in test runs, and when trying to demonstrate the car's self-parking abilities, it crashed into a fence in Tesla's parking lot.

Elluswamy said the video was made after Tesla boss Elon Musk asked the Autopilot team to design a "demonstration of the system's capabilities." Musk later promoted the video in a tweet, boasting that "Tesla drives itself (no human input at all) thru urban streets to highway to streets, then finds a parking spot."

Tesla drives itself (no human input at all) thru urban streets to highway to streets, then finds a parking spot https://t.co/V2T7KGMPBo

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 20, 2016

The New York Times reported in 2021 that the Tesla used a premapped route in the video, and a car had crashed during the shoot.

Andrew McDevitt, who represents Huang's wife, told Reuters the video was "obviously misleading to feature that video without any disclaimer or asterisk."

After Huang's Tesla crashed on Highway 101 in Mountain View, California, in March 2018, the auto manufacturer said that Huang was responsible as he kept his hands off the wheel despite the vehicle's repeated warnings to retake control. However, the National Transportation Safety Board said Huang had repeatedly complained to friends and family about the Tesla often swerving at that specific crash barrier.

Tesla is facing several lawsuits related to its Autopilot software. There was more controversy last year when it announced the phasing out of ultrasonic sensors from its vehicles as part of the switch to Tesla Vision, its camera-based Autopilot system, having previously removed the radar systems.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/97298-tesla-director-software-admits-2016-autopilot-demo-video.html

 

[Endymio]

Huang had repeatedly complained to friends and family about the Tesla often swerving at that specific crash barrier.

And yet he continued to drive by it with his hands off the steering wheel, despite the vehicle continually warning him otherwise?

I wonder if those of you who blindly support outrageous settlements in tort suits of this sort realize just how they add to the cost of the products we purchase. 75% of the price of an extension ladder, as just one example, is product liability insurance cost.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Self driving cars are nothing more then fantasy.

And yet he continued to drive by it with his hands off the steering wheel, despite the vehicle continually warning him otherwise?

Well yeah! What's he going to do, stop engaging in risky behavior? Thats the responsibility of others to resolve!

 

[wiyosaya]

I'm shocked, totally shocked! Musk lies and so do his employees? Say it isn't so! /s

 

[sreams]

There is no new information here. The testimony indicated that what was shown in the video was not available to customers in 2016. That has been known for years. The product descriptions on Tesla's website, at the time, clearly stated which features were current and which were coming in the future. It is interesting how, nearly seven years later, media acts as if this is news.

 

[tellmewhy]

I suspect that as with airplane accidents most of the problems come from the sensors. When dust builds up either on the glass or gets into the camera and coats the sensor it is obvious that the image it sends will not match the reality and consequently the software will make incorrect decisions.

So to improve security it needs larger sensors in the camera which will see better in low light as well as an automated mechanism which will sense if dust has settled on the sensor or the outer glass and ensure that it is cleaned up either with ultrasound (similar to dslr) if it is on the sensor or with water if it is on the outer glass.

That’s about safety, as for the driving capabilities to me the best benchmark is how fast the software it can run the Nurburgring lap in comparison with a race driver.

 

[axiomatic13]

Musk, ever the charlatan.

 

[BadThad]

Tesla where's my jet?

 

[Mr Majestyk]

Felon Musk strikes again. Utterly corrupt and unhinged. This clown has never invented one thing in his life. He's snake oil salesman at best.

 

[Pensiveclown]

There is no new information here. The testimony indicated that what was shown in the video was not available to customers in 2016. That has been known for years. The product descriptions on Tesla's website, at the time, clearly stated which features were current and which were coming in the future. It is interesting how, nearly seven years later, media acts as if this is news.

"Coming in the future..." sure... like any of those features ever happened or ever will happen
Tesla fanboys are so desperate to justify this. Yes, the person who died in the crash was using the technology irresponsibly. However, this doesn't in any way justify making blatantly false commercials that tell people the cars are capable of driving themselves, when in reality, they are completely incapable of this.

There is no new information here. The testimony indicated that what was shown in the video was not available to customers in 2016. That has been known for years. The product descriptions on Tesla's website, at the time, clearly stated which features were current and which were coming in the future. It is interesting how, nearly seven years later, media acts as if this is news.

Naturally, the facts would be in fine print on a page they make sure nobody looks at ever, because the fake commercial sells more cars, even if it ENCOURAGES people to put themselves in danger.

Yes, the driver of the car in the crash was acting unsafely.
However, this doesn't justify several massive issues.
a) Tesla used blatantly false marketing to sell a product.
b) This false marketing encouraged people to endanger themselves.
c) Even the real technology is poorly designed and unsafe for use or any form of certification, as demonstrated by the car's behavior during this accident.

 

[Endymio]

a) Tesla used blatantly false marketing to sell a product.

Except-- they didn't. Tesla said loudly and clearly the video was demonstrating *future* capabilities, that were not yet in production cars, and wouldn't be for several years. However do you contort logic in a manner to call this marketing a current product?

b) This false marketing encouraged people to endanger themselves.

If Ford says "one day cars will drive themselves" and you immediately jump in your Ford and drive it over a cliff -- how is Ford responsible?

 

[AdamNovagen]

Except-- they didn't. Tesla said loudly and clearly the video was demonstrating *future* capabilities, that were not yet in production cars, and wouldn't be for several years. However do you contort logic in a manner to call this marketing a current product?

The video literally opens with the line "The person in the driver's seat IS only there for legal reasons. He IS NOT doing anything. The car IS driving itself." Not "will be," not "could be." "IS." However, the person in the video was NOT there just for legal reasons and the car was NOT driving itself. The video was therefore false advertising.

 

[Gezzer]

The video literally opens with the line "The person in the driver's seat IS only there for legal reasons. He IS NOT doing anything. The car IS driving itself." Not "will be," not "could be." "IS." However, the person in the video was NOT there just for legal reasons and the car was NOT driving itself. The video was therefore false advertising.

What is blatantly obvious will be ignored by the trolls my friend. IMHO Tesla all but committed fraud (or did if the courts decide) in how they marketed their cars self driving capabilities. Hell, I've even argued when that one guy ran into the 18 wheeler while asleep, which was admittedly pretty stupid to do, that even the name "autopilot" was misleading. Everyone assumes that planes fly themselves when on autopilot right? So it's not all that surprising that people misconstrue that to mean a Tesla can do the same...