Beginning with Version 12 of Tesla’s Full Self-Driving semi-autonomous software something is very different. Owners are finally getting a chance to see how it handles the real world and the results are mixed. One thing is clear though: it’s a huge change from Version 11.
The shift from version 11 to version 12 is all about how Full Self-Driving does its job. Before version 11 the system was based on lines of human-written code. Version 12 basically scraps all of that code and instead uses advanced AI learning to emulate “good” drivers to the best of its ability.
At least two different Tesla YouTubers have collaborated to show off Version 12 (technically 12.1.2) to the general public. Being that they own these cars it’s worth pointing out that neither can be truly unbiased about the results.
Nevertheless, the videos give us a good indication of what FSD V12 does well and what it really struggles with. In fact, the two of them compared V12 in one car to V11 in another car on the same route at the same time to find the differences.
Based on feedback from the channels AI Drivr and WholeMarsBlog, the big change seems to be with how smoothly the system works. Version 12 “feels like the robot that used to drive the car has been replaced by a competent human,” says one of the testers. “It no longer feels like it’s calculating what to do all the time and instead just does it,” they continue. All indications are that FSD 12 behaves very naturally and confidently in most scenarios.
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It still has some problems though. Stop signs are a major issue as the system takes some time to get to zero mph and won’t roll through stops like the vast majority of humans do. While that might sound great to regulators, it’s unnatural compared to most drivers, and being unpredictable can itself be unsafe. In addition, FSD 12 has some trouble with traffic control devices like parking bollards and at least one crosswalk sign in the video.
As AI Drivr points out, the system is doing all that it does with only a year of in-house training at Tesla. It’s feasible to think that as more drivers download and use the system it’ll continue to improve.
Image Credit: AI Drivr