How to become a Self-Driving Car Engineer in 2023
What is a Self-Driving Car Engineer, and how to become one.
Good morning fellow AI enthusiast! This week's iteration focuses on our most recent episode of the What's AI podcast with Jérémy Cohen, founder of Think Autonomous, and some great comments from our AI ethics expert, Auxane Boch. More precisely, we dive into the world of self-driving cars with lots of insights for future engineers. I hope you enjoy it!
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2️⃣ How to Become a Self-Driving Car Engineer in 2023 - What's AI Podcast Episode 8
An interview with Jérémy Cohen, founder and CEO of Think Autonomous. In this interview, we dive into the self-driving car industry and different ML-related roles.
In this interview, we discuss getting into the industry and trying to demystify some myths. Here are some teasing questions we discuss:
How can one become a self-driving car engineer?
What are LiDARs, and how do they work?
What do you think about using LiDAR vs. cameras on self-driving cars?
Do you think a $200 000 salary for a computer vision engineer is a myth?
We hope you enjoy this episode!
Let me know your thoughts in the comments and if you'd like more episodes with Jérémy in the self-driving car industry! (or listen to the podcast on the streaming platforms)
3️⃣ AI Ethics with Auxane
Self-driving cars are the future of transportation, and bring a lot of opportunities with them, but their development and deployment also raise ethical questions in regards to safety in general, privacy, accessibility, and equity. So, let’s dive into this topic!
One of the primary ethical discussions is ensuring that self-driving cars prioritise safety, particularly in emergency situations where the car is faced with a choice between hitting a pedestrian or crashing into a barrier. Thus, the question also relates to safety, yes, but for whom, how, and why? In a way, this relates to the forever Trolley Dilemma, well imaged in the renowned MIT research “the Moral Machine”. To address this, engineers must develop robust algorithms, avoiding at maximum collision with anything, but if a decision has to be made, then we should look up at what research offers to support standardisation and legislative efforts. Coding moral decision making within a machine can be hard, but maybe understanding how to distribute risk is the answer? If you’re interested in this topic, feel free to have a look at this article.
Another ethical challenge is determining liability and accountability in the event of an accident. To address this, self-driving car companies must work with policymakers and legal experts to develop clear guidelines and regulations that outline who is responsible in different types of scenarios. For example, liability might be based on the type of system failure that caused the accident. Here, research is also being carried out, and if you are interested in seeing different approaches, and get into the topic, you can start here.
To protect the privacy and security of data collected by self-driving cars, engineers must implement robust cybersecurity measures and be transparent about data collection and usage. Privacy by design principles that encrypt and anonymize user data can help protect against unauthorised access or hacking attempts. Building on the state of the art cybersecurity is thus essential, but we can also ask about the principles and recommendations put forth by the GDPR (link it), and if data minimization for example should be applied, how and why?
Thirdly, ensuring that self-driving cars are accessible and inclusive to all members of society requires designing these systems with a diverse range of users in mind, including those with disabilities, senior citizens, and individuals from different socioeconomic backgrounds. Self-driving car companies might work with disability advocates to develop accessibility features that enable users with physical disabilities to use the self-driving car. This could indeed be a great opportunity for any human with disability to have the chance to autonomy in self-transportation through autonomous vehicles, if the models are meant also for them. This question is to be asked also for economical accessibility considering autonomous vehicles would also increase general safety on the road. I won’t expand too much on this here, but I think this is good food for thought! Policies and procedures that ensure equitable access to transportation for all members of the community, regardless of income or location, can help mitigate concerns around bias and exclusion.
In conclusion, while self-driving cars hold great promise for the future of transportation, their development and deployment also present significant ethical challenges, as per usual. These challenges range from ensuring safety in emergency situations, determining liability and responsibility in accidents, protecting data privacy and security, to designing systems that are accessible and inclusive for all members of society. Addressing these challenges will require collaboration between engineers, policymakers, legal experts, disability advocates, academia, and other stakeholders to develop clear guidelines and regulations. It is important to note that with thoughtful consideration and careful planning, self-driving cars can revolutionise transportation while promoting a more just and equitable society!
I wish you all a great week! - Auxane Boch (iuvenal research consultant, TUM IEAI research associate).
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We will see you next week with another amazing paper!
Louis