Tesla’s Unfinished Self‑Driving Dream
Remember back in April 2019 when Elon Musk proudly proclaimed that by mid‑2020, Tesla would have more than a million driver‑free cars that let riders “go to sleep” during a trip? Turns out that 2020 looked more like a fairy‑tale than a reality check.
AI Day – A “Geek Fest” for Engineers
On August 19, Musk is throwing a fresh “AI Day” bash. Think of it as a tech‑no‑chill party where he’ll spin a vision for how Tesla can finally deliver on its autonomous promises. It’s essentially a way to attract the kind of engineers who can pull the dream from the dreams.
Key Points from the Event
- Full Self‑Driving (FSD) still on the to‑do list – Musk recently said the cars “are not fully‑self‑driving yet,” a polite take‑back from earlier hype.
- Regulators in the mix – The U.S. safety watchdog opened a probe over incidents where Teslas crashed into stationary police cars and fire trucks.
- Senates joining the chorus – Two U.S. senators called on the FTC to take a closer look at Tesla’s claims about FSD and Autopilot.
- Investor frustration – Gene Munster from Loup Ventures warned that investors are scaling back expectations, and that the safety investigation and how FSD is marketed could become “harder questions to answer.”
Why It Matters
Even with the new AI Day spectacle, the road to a truly autonomous fleet still feels like a marathon, not a sprint. The questions around safety and honest marketing are louder than the hype, proving that for Tesla, engineering a safer, smarter auto isn’t just about code—it’s about trust.
Conflicting views of AI
Tesla’s AI Bash: A Sneak Peek
Tesla has pulled back the curtain on its next big AI plans with an invite that reads like a ticket to the future. At 5 pm PT in Palo Alto, the company will livestream an event that promises to reveal everything besides its electric cars—think solar, storage, and factory‑building software.
What Attendees Can Expect
- AI Beyond the Road: Musk hints that the talk will cover how AI is powering Tesla’s solar panels and energy storage solutions.
- Smart Manufacturing: Discussions around AI‑driven automation in Tesla’s factories could bring production to the next level.
- Lived Stream: The event will be broadcast in real‑time, so you can catch every hardware demo and keynote no matter where you’re sitting.
Ghost of the Past: Production Woes
Back in 2017‑18, Tesla hit a tangle with its Model 3 production. The culprit? An over‑ambitious automation push that left the order books thin.
Musk made a rare confession via tweet: “Excessive automation at Tesla was a mistake. To be precise—my mistake. Humans are underrated.” That candid remark earned a mixed response from investors and fans alike.
Musk vs. Machine: A Love‑Hate Relationship
When it comes to AI, Jeff is a paradox wrapped in a riddle. He champions Tesla’s AI as the industry’s best bet, yet he’s warned about its existential risk—some say it could outpace nuclear weapons.
- Innovation Champion: Musk touts Tesla’s machine‑learning engines as top‑tier, sparking global curiosity.
- Risk Acknowledged: He’s also been incredibly blunt, describing AI as a potential threat to humanity.
- Yet Still Forward‑Thinking: The company will continue to push the frontier, blending automation with a dose of human oversight.
Why This Matters
As Tesla gears up to tackle new AI avenues, it’s a winning mix of bold vision and steel‑spine humility. Whether it lands on the right side of its risk full‑throttle trajectory (or not) we’ll see at the livestreamed event.
Dojo computing system
Elon Musk’s “Dojo” Dream: A Sneak Peek
On Thursday, the tech world got ready for a big splash from Elon Musk, who’s finally going to take us behind the curtain on Tesla’s brain‑in‑the‑machine—
What’s Dojo?
Think of it as the next‑level version of a super‑fast brain for cars. Musk says it’ll chew through the flood of video footage that Tesla’s fleet collects while cruising down the streets. The heavy lifting will be done by Custom Tesla chips and a brand‑new architecture, all built from scratch.
Why Everyone’s Watching
- It’s kind of a “recruitment rave” rather than just a flashy product showcase.
- Tech giants like Google are hunting the same pool of AI geniuses, and Tesla’s pretty good at snagging them.
- “AI Day is more about recruiting than marketing a new car,” quipped Ross Gerber, the big boss at Gerber Kawasaki, which owns stiff Tesla shares.
Musk’s History of Show‑off & Push‑back
Elon’s known for staging bold demos, then wiggling the official launch dates a bit. Last September, he announced a daring plan to roll out his own battery cells. That promise was meant to drop a $25,000 car in three years—gold‑standard dreams for the masses. But he later pulled the Model S Plaid+, the flagship that was supposed to ride on those new cells. Talk about a pivot!
What to Expect on Thursday
We’ll see Musk unveil Dojo’s real power, hopefully with a few fireworks, and maybe a throw‑in of how it will finally make Tesla’s autonomous driving a no‑sweat reality.
Stay tuned, because if Musk’s track record is any indicator, it won’t just be the tech nerds who will be glued to their screens.
