Google's Robot Cars Are Smoother, Safer Drivers Than You

Data gathered by Google shows that their self-driving cars are measurably safer and smoother when left to their own devices, compared to when humans take control.

Google's cars have driven thousands of miles on American roads and analysis suggests that when their professional drivers are behind the wheel, the cars braked and accelerated more sharply than when the AI was in control. On top of that, the robots were better at maintaining a safe distance from the driver in front.

The data was presented by Chris Urmson, leader of Google's autonomous cars project, who said of the robotic drivers “we’re spending less time in near-collision states” said Urmson. Human drivers simply cannot concentrate and anticipate information as quickly as the computer.

Image via youtube.com

Depending on your opinions on artificial intelligence, that is both fascinating and terrifying. Furthermore, these are Google's "trained professional drivers." We're all petrolheads here and like to think we're decent drivers, but it's often clear that the people around us are oblivious and inept behind the wheel. If the robots are better than human pros, they're a rational no-brainer when compared to the average clueless chump.

It'll be decades before we have to face the prospect of having no human-driven cars on the road, but with American states such as California, Nevada and Florida allowing self-driving cars out into the wild, autonomous cars look like they're here to stay.