'Trying to kill you": Apple co-founder unimpressed with Tesla AI

Elon Musk is a firm believer in cars that can drive themselves. But Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak is not too taken by the claims made by the Tesla CEO and has made no effort to reserve his opinion. Tesla AutoPilot system allows electric vehicles (EVs) to negotiate real-world conditions even though the company urges human attention at all times. But critics continue to cast doubts about a machine's ability to safely handle ever-dynamic conditions on roads. -

Wozniak, speaking to CNN earlier this month, admitted that he believed in many of what Tesla claimed in years gone by. But passing time has made him doubt the self-drive claim. “I believed the things he (Musk) said! That a car would drive itself across the country by the end of 2016," he was quoted as saying. "Oh, I had to upgrade to that model. You know, $50,000, and then it wouldn’t do anything. I could tell it would never make it across the country."

Wozniak further put the spotlight on the safety aspect of it all. “And boy, if you want a study of AI gone wrong and taking a lot of claims, and trying to kill you every chance it can, get a Tesla," he reportedly said.

Tesla and Musk continue to maintain that the AutoPilot system is comprehensive even though the company has made dubious headlines after several fatal accidents were linked to the self-drive technology. US regulator National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is reportedly investigating two such incidents. Tesla recently did roll out Full Self-Driving or FSD update but fully autonomous driving still requires safety clearances in most parts of the world.