Tesla Seeks Engineers For Self-Driving Cars
Despite labelling AI an “existential threat”, Elon Musk wants engineers to build a self-driving car
Tesla chief executive Elon Musk wants to seek out “hardcore engineers” in an effort to develop self-driving cars.
This drives comes after Musk recently dismissed reports that Apple was seeking to develop its own car project, when he said that the iPad maker “have hired people we’ve fired.”
Hardcore Engineers
With this in mind, Musk took to Twitter to issue his call for engineers, who do not have to come from an automotive background.
“We are looking for hardcore software engineers,” he tweeted. “No prior experience with cars required. Please include code sample or link to your work.”
Prospective candidates should however be aware that they will be interviewed “personally” by Musk, and that the autopilot project reports directly to him.
Musk also added that the project to build self-driving cars was “a super high priority to him.
Essentially, it seems that Musk wants engineers to work on Telsa’s AutoPilot software, which is designed to let the Model S and Model X Tesla cars automatically steer, change lanes, and adjust speed.
The software uses a combination of radar, cameras and sensors, as well as mapping data to plot its location and automate some driving functions. Yet some Telsa owners have warned that the AutoPilot software still requires the driver to maintain full control of the car, after some complained that it can swerve expectedly.
AI Worries
The decision by the South Africa-born inventor and entrepreneur best known as the co-founder of PayPal and chief executive of both SpaceX and Tesla Motors to make self-driving cars a priority, comes despite the fact that Musk is not a fan of all technology developments.
Indeed, in October 2014 Musk warned against the dangers of artificial intelligence (AI), describing it as an “existential threat” to humanity.
He later donated $10m (£6.6m) to the Future of Life Institute (FLI) to help bolster the FLI’s global research program, which aims to provide grants to those developing ideas to make AI safer.
Telsa’s hopes to develop a self-driving car will put it in firmly against Google, which is regarded as being one of the leading developers of this technology.
Earlier this month one of Google’s self-driving autonomous vehicles was pulled over by police close to Google’s Mountain View headquarters, after they noticed it was driving too slowly (pictured below).
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