Would you Trust this man with your Life?

Davis Brown, Social Media Chair

Elon Musk is no slouch. He runs two companies: Space Exploration Technologies (which recently landed a rocket and will attempt another landing on Sunday) and Tesla, an electric car company. In fact, the Eagle Examiner recently wrote an article  on one of SpaceX’s attempted rocket landings. While Musk caught flak for comparing artificial intelligence to nuclear weapons, he also recently started and funded a nonprofit billion dollar artificial intelligence company along with several other tech giants, called Open AI, with the expressed goal “to advance digital intelligence in the way that is most likely to benefit humanity as a whole, unconstrained by a need to generate financial return.”

One of his most ambitious projects yet, however, comes in the form of mere software developments at Tesla. Musk is attempting to make a self-driving car, and is currently beating many (if not all) of the major car companies to develop the technology. In fact, many of the Tesla cars on the road now have the ability to drive themselves on the highway. In fact, Musk has said of the newest driving development, which was sent to Tesla cars remotely on Saturday, that “It’s probably better than a person right now.” The newest update even has a summons feature, which allows drivers to have the car drive to them at a limited distance and even opens and closes garage doors.

The most interesting development will be coming soon. Tesla cars, according to Musk, will be fully autonomous in the next 24-36 months. That means, in the words of the business magnate, that “In two years you’ll be able to summon your car from across the country… If your car is in New York and you are in Los Angeles, it will find its way to you.” Add that to the fact that Tesla will release a far more affordable car in 2017, and very soon you will see (or be inside) many self-driving cars on roads near you.