British artist, writer, journalist and technologist James Bridle doesn’t trust the autonomous car he built himself, so he created a trap to assert his dominance.
The concept piece entitled ‘Autonomous Trap 001’ illustrates the limits of knowledge without context.
We spend a lot of time talking about the tech behind autonomous cars and how great it is. But what about the limitations of that tech?
Perhaps one of the most important aspects a self-driving system will be taught is how to interpret road markings and understanding the rules of the road.
Bridle creates two rings of salt around the car; a solid line on the inside and a dotted line on the outside. Thanks to the logic of machine learning, the car is trapped by these two conflicting rules of the road and unable to override them.
So, is this just a funny joke, or a dig at an incredibly hyped technology? Maybe it's a cruel trick played on a defenceless self-driving car?
Bridle suggests The Trap falls into the category of resistance. The ‘Autonomous Trap 001’ explores what happens when disruptive technology is introduced to society, daring us all to imagine the ways in which an autonomous vehicle could be sabotaged.
What happens when the language of the road is abused by those with malicious intent?
Check out more of James Bridle's work here.
What are your views on autonomous cars? Let us know in the comments.
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