Potential Legal Acceptance of Google's Computers as Drivers

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that it may accept the artificial intelligence system being tested in Google's self-driving cars as a driver under federal law. This decision is a significant step towards the acceptance of self-driving cars and the growth of this emerging industry. According to Reuters, the NHTSA communicated this decision to Google on February 5, through a letter published on the agency's website, but the news was released on Thursday, February 10. Google's self-driving car unit submitted its complete plan for producing cars that 'do not require a driver' to the NHTSA on November 12, 2015. In its letter to Google, the NHTSA stated: 'The NHTSA will interpret the concept of 'driver' in Google's proposal as the self-driving system of the car, not the occupant of the car. We agree with Google that self-driving cars will not have a 'driver' in the traditional sense that has been common for over a century.' Major automakers and technology companies like Google are fiercely competing to produce vehicles that can operate without a driver at least some of the time. Meanwhile, all companies involved in this competition believe that U.S. federal laws regarding driving safety and roads hinder the testing and final production of self-driving vehicles. The state of California has drafted legislation requiring all self-driving cars to have a licensed driver as part of the occupants. Many automotive experts in the U.S. believe that there are still many legal questions and ambiguities regarding self-driving cars. Karl Brauer, one of these experts, stated: 'If the NHTSA accepts artificial intelligence as an acceptable alternative to human control of the car, this could pave the way for self-driving cars to enter the country's roads.' The Associated Press adds that if the computer system of these types of vehicles is also legally considered a driver, it will pave the way for Google and other companies to design cars that can operate without human intervention and communicate directly with the artificial intelligence system controlling the vehicle. In another part of its letter, the NHTSA writes: 'The next question is how Google can prove that self-driving systems comply with the regulations and standards set for driver-operated vehicles.' A Google spokesperson said on Tuesday that the company is still reviewing the NHTSA's letter. Google executives have stated that they will collaborate with automakers for the mass production of self-driving cars. In its proposal to the NHTSA, Google stated that incorporating tools in the artificial intelligence system of these vehicles that allow the occupant or driver to intervene could be dangerous. According to Google, occupants may override the decisions of the car's self-driving system, which would be very dangerous for the safety of the vehicle and its occupants. Officials from the NHTSA said that before deciding on adding human-controllable tools to these types of vehicles, such as brakes or steering, they must make a final decision regarding the legality of producing these vehicles. The process of revising federal driving safety laws may take years, but officials from the agency said that Google could request exceptions for rapid changes to these laws, provided sufficient documentation is presented.