Tesla's Full Self-Driving system, FSD 14, expected to outperform human drivers by a factor of 2 to 3, predicted by Elon Musk.
Tesla's Next Full Self-Driving Update Promises to Outperform Human Drivers
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has announced that the company's next major Full Self-Driving (FSD) release, Version 14, is expected to outperform human drivers by a factor of two to three. The announcement was made on Saturday.
Musk's comments came in response to longtime Tesla FSD beta tester @jamesdouma, who suggested that V14 could be as much as 10X better than human drivers. Musk added that V15 has "a shot" at achieving the 10X benchmark.
The development of FSD Version 14 involves Tesla, Inc., supported by their Tesla Dojo supercomputer and machine learning systems that process vast video data from Tesla cars. The development is described as integrating multiple sensor inputs (cameras, radar, ultrasound) and advanced image processing, aiming for near-complete autonomy without relying on prior car or road markings.
V14 is currently in training and testing, and if everything goes according to plan, a potential public rollout is scheduled for late September. Once safety in real-world driving is confirmed, Musk said FSD 14 will "nag you much less," reducing the frequency of driver attention reminders.
The announcement does not provide any details about the testing process for V14 or the specific safety features or improvements in the update. However, Musk promised a dramatic gain in performance for FSD 14, alongside other refinements.
It's worth noting that V12, introduced end-to-end neural networks for path planning and control, was widely seen as a major leap forward over previous iterations. Douma, who has closely tracked Tesla's FSD progress, previously praised V12 as delivering over a 100x reduction in driver interventions compared to V11.
FSD 14 is powered by a model with 10 times more parameters than the current release. This suggests that the update will incorporate more complex learning algorithms, potentially leading to improved performance.
Tesla's FSD updates aim to significantly surpass human driving ability, with recent versions expected to be two to three times better than a human driver. If successful, FSD 14 could mark a significant milestone in Tesla's path towards achieving better than human driving.
Musk described FSD 14 as Tesla's second biggest update ever, after V12. The announcement does not specify a release date for Version 14, but the anticipation is building among Tesla enthusiasts and the wider autonomous driving community.
The discontinuation of the Tesla Dojo supercomputer in August 2025 may have implications for the development and deployment of FSD Version 14 and beyond. However, Tesla's commitment to advancing autonomous driving technology remains unwavering, as evidenced by Musk's ambitious claims for FSD 14 and V15.
As always, safety remains a top priority for Tesla. Musk tempered expectations, stating that while V14 will surpass human performance, it will likely only reach 2-3X improvements in safety. The company continues to work diligently to ensure that its autonomous driving technology is safe and reliable for public use.
In conclusion, Tesla's Full Self-Driving Version 14 is shaping up to be a significant update that could revolutionise the way we drive. With its expected release in late September, Tesla enthusiasts and the wider autonomous driving community eagerly await the rollout of this groundbreaking technology.
