Feds: Google Car’s Computer Can Be Considered A Driver

If the computer in Google's cars can be considered a driver, who is held responsible for stuff like tickets and accidents? If an autonomous car swerves off a cliff to avoid hitting a pedestrian, is it Google's fault if the driver is injured or killed?

U.S. vehicle safety regulators have said the artificial intelligence system piloting a self-driving Google car could be considered the driver under federal law, a major step toward ultimately winning approval for autonomous vehicles on the roads. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration told Google, a unit of Alphabet Inc, of its decision in a previously unreported Feb. 4 letter to the company posted on the agency’s website this week.

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