From Matthew Stevens, Sydney, Australia
As a cyclist who has ridden in many cities and countries over the decades, I have learned not to trust any driver. But I have to disagree with Matt Sparkes in his hope that AI-controlled vehicles might reduce danger on the road. Drivers instinctively recognise me as a fellow human. There is no way an AI pilot, however sophisticated, will ever recognise a cyclist or a pedestrian as anything other than a matched pattern with the tag “avoid”. An AI will simply follow instructions and make the least-worst decision(23 August, p 21). Unlike us, it can never identify with a human and ask: “If that were me, how would I feel?”
