Well here we go again! If you are into following technology like I am and also happen to be into cars, shit is getting wild out there! Theres a storm brewing from several different directions. Like most important topics, I dont think enough people are discussing it. Currently everyone in tech is wringing their hands over the AI war. Initiated by Microsoft and picked up by Google. These two companies and many others are fighting for AI technological supremacy. This is technology thats already proven to be at best problematic at worse disastrous. I am sure you’ve heard the stories. AI doing everything from advising people to break up with their wives to providing pornography to minors. AI is also already automatically building web sites and writing new software. We all know when profits are at risk the companies involved have little to no regard to what comes next. They certainly dont seem concerned with how to control these inevitable wild fires should they get out of hand. Evidenced by the recent AI scientists quitting their respective companies and speaking out against the technology.
What does this have to do with cars? Potentially a whole lot!
As I have outlined Ad Nauseam. All electric cars manufactured today have built in 4g/5g modems and wifi. Which means anywhere with cellular or wifi coverage your vehicle is connected and transmitting data. Data you might expect like location, speed, direction but also stops made and time spent radio stations or content listened to and so much more. The sheer tonnage of data collected is staggering. But while all that data is going out that stream flows both ways. Features can be added or subtracted by manufacturers or by algorithm. It’s already happening and mistakes have been made. Tesla owners have seen range and performance that they paid for be removed by updates. Getting things reversed has in some cases required law suits. These changes can be done at will due to the before mentioned 4g 5g wifi modems installed. This makes electric cars yet one more place that AI could become a problem. Asking AI to write software is already a thing and if you get access to a version that is open enough asking it to do all manor of mischief is a real possibility.
"But my cell phone tracks me already”, you say “what’s the difference?” Yes that may be true but as I have previously established. Your carrier when asked by local, state or federal government can and has disabled or limited voice and data cell service. Done during protests/riots and natural disasters. Being denied the ability to send or receive calls or texts is bad enough when your in a bad spot. If your car is basically another cell phone with wheels? Well now you’ve potentially also ceded your ability to travel or escape a bad situation. We are potentially standing at a precipice of undreamed of loss of personal freedoms and control.
Lets add another layer. I have covered Teslas self driving self parking technology. Ford is working to take that another step forward. A step everyone that pays attention had already seen coming. Ford has recently applied for patents on a self repossessing vehicle technology. I’ll include a link to the story at the bottom of this article. Upon deeper reading of the patent the idea also incorporates anothe idea I find alarming. An idea already tested by Subaru, BMW and others. The idea that you could buy a car with physical features built in. Features the manufacturer will not only charge you a monthly fee to access! Fords patent shows they will also ration those features if your not making your payments or their policies change.
These are all issues we should be discussing and pushing for protections against. American companies already so dependent on china for manufacturing and Market growth. Theres no question we will see implementation of tracking and automotive service denial there first. Once that software is written its implementation is a key stroke and an internet connection away from being installed everywhere. Lets be real AI will only make that implementation faster. It could also make such software implementable by regular folks just being assholes.
We need to be discussing these things. Laying the ground work for the prevention of such software being legally implementable. If we dont get ahead of it before it becomes a reality it will be impossible to roll back. As the old saying goes you cant unring a bell.
On the bright side. I also think these concerns are a hell of an opportunity. An opportunity smaller manufacturers like Bollinger, Rivian or Lucid could really hang their hat on. If one of them would divert from the current path of collecting and selling customer data. If they would declare protection of your Data and autonomy to be a company Tennant. To require update explanations that are easily understood. Most of all to allow their customers to decide what updates are installed. Allowing customers to determine what access given to the product you own. Committing to personal safety and security in a real way would be an immidiate boost to any brand. It would also go a long way to strengthening a brand image as well as drive this conversation.
So lets start talking about it.
James
The Lowered HMFIC
https://www.npr.org/2023/03/03/1160932390/ford-patent-repossession-self-driving-cars
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