Originally Posted by
Dave Cutter
That sounds like some who doesn't understand the use of technology.
Autonomous cars are as high-tech today... as the radar-range was in the early '60's... or CompuServe was in the early '80's. But it won't be long (however long... long is) before every car made will have a (government mandated) autonomous option. People will select it based on need and how it effects the resale value of their purchase (or rental). It might be pricey at first... but the cost (and price) will quickly plummet.
Autominous cars are at least a little
more high tech than those examples because they exist only as prototypes created to prove a concept under more forgiving conditions than the real world. They're more like CPUs on integrated circuits were in the 60s, something which had been proven and existed (like on the Apollo guidance computer) but not something you could go buy.
But... autonomous cars do make the position of cab driver a little "dated". Just like elevator operator, typist, telephone operator, pinsetter (bowling), and milkman..... expect to see far fewer cab drivers.
Not yet.