FYI: Tesla workers were allegedly ordered to disregard specific road signs to improve Autopilot performance. This directive aims to make the system drive more human-like but raises safety concerns.
Tesla Workers Instructed to Ignore Certain Road Signs, Report Claims
Tesla is under scrutiny after a Business Insider report revealed that employees working on the Autopilot driver assistance system were allegedly instructed to ignore specific road signs during the annotation process. The directive supposedly included ignoring U-turn and right turn on red restrictions to make Autopilot function more like a human driver.
Inside the Annotation Process
Based on interviews with 17 current and former employees at Tesla, the report highlights a controversial approach taken by the company. These workers were responsible for labeling video clips collected from customer vehicles. This data is used to train the Autopilot system, aiming to improve its performance and reduce errors.
"I think the idea is we want to train it to drive like a human would, not a robot that’s just following the rules," a former Tesla employee told Business Insider. This approach, while intended to improve the system’s responsiveness and fluidity, poses potential risks for accidents.
Safety Measures and Concerns
The Autopilot system does incorporate various safety nets, such as yielding to oncoming traffic and coming to a full stop if obstacles are detected. Despite these measures, the intentional disregard for certain traffic rules could lead to dangerous situations.
Focus on High-Profile Cases
Another revelation from the report is that annotators were often instructed to prioritize issues encountered by Tesla CEO Elon Musk and feedback from influential social media users. This directive potentially emphasizes quick fixes over systematic improvements, raising concerns about the software’s reliability.
Workplace Surveillance and Pressure
The working conditions at Tesla’s data annotation center are reportedly demanding. Employees mentioned constant surveillance through cameras and software monitoring their speed and keystrokes. "You could spend eight hours a day for months on end just labeling lane lines and curbs across thousands of videos," shared one former worker. Additionally, falling short of the minimum work time could result in termination.
Privacy Issues and Legal Actions
Concerns about privacy have also emerged. Last year, a lawsuit was filed against Tesla by a California resident, claiming that employees had shared invasive videos and photos recorded by customer vehicles between 2019 and 2022. According to the Business Insider report, one such clip involved a young boy on a bicycle getting struck by a Tesla.
In response to these concerns, Tesla has restricted access to video clips, limiting them to specific projects. Watermarks were also added to images to trace any leaks back to their source more effectively.
Conclusion
The revelation that Tesla might be instructing employees to ignore traffic laws while annotating data for Autopilot is alarming. While the intent is to make the system drive more like a human, this deviation from rules could have severe safety implications. The combination of intense workplace monitoring, prioritization of high-profile cases, and ongoing privacy issues highlights the complex challenges Tesla faces in perfecting its autonomous driving technology.
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Authored by William Kouch, Editor of Automotive.fyi
