OTHER VIEWS: Brace yourself for 'scary, wicked' auto realities

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Have you seen the National Geographic documentary "Million?"

You need to. Especially, if you are in the automotive industry. It talks about machine learning, artificial intelligence through a storyline.

The program opens at the scene of a fatal car accident. EMS is there, but personnel are represented by Star Wars-esque androids.

The droid approaches a parent and delivers the matter-of-fact news that the child is dead. The droid asks the mother if she wants to save her child's "memories." The droid reminds the mother that she has only minutes to decide.

The decision is made: The child's mind survives even though her body does not. The next scene shows the AI (artificial intelligence) child, at home, interacting with the adults as if nothing has happened. The AI machine — and, the girl's thoughts — perpetually lives on.

Great documentary. The AI timing is off, in my opinion — too conservative — but, the message is clear: The technology is here, in its primordial stage.

It's slowly infiltrating our daily lives. Smart phones, laptops and now virtual assistants, such as Amazon's Alexa, are worming their way into our personal living spaces. "How low do you want the thermostat?" It knows. "What do you like to watch on television, on Thursday evenings?" The channel is set. This is just the beginning.

We are all too familiar through news articles and corporate advertisements of how vehicles are capable of taking a command and driving to a destination. On their own.

Of course, there are rules and regulations that keep an observer in the driver's seat — at this time. But, all the same, the cars, trucks, semis are moving on their own.

Really, nothing too new, though. Mercedes Benz had "self-driving" vehicles in the mid-1980s. The rest of the world caught-up. Quickly. This century.

Earlier this decade, test vehicles began "talking" to each other, called "V2V," or vehicle-to-vehicle. "You're stopping? Well, I guess I will, too."

Then, there's "V2I," or vehicle to infrastructure. Now, cars and trucks are communicating with items such as construction and school zones. Even the local levels of the Department of Transportation (DOT) are prepping how to keep the vehicle flow efficient.

A very good friend of mine, who is a senior traffic operations manager, said the local DOTs are planning for a world without the use of traffic signals or signs. The vehicles is going to talk, decide which vehicle is going first at that four-way intersection. Why would you need a traffic signal?

I'm not telling you anything you haven't heard, but these are the building blocks to scary, wicked automotive realities within the near future.

We are all too familiar with the oil change indicator on the dash. That message that has been programmed into the software, telling the driver when the vehicle fluid is due for exchange. Then, slowly, other items were introduced to make our driving lives easier, such as automatic climate control and cruise control.

This would be considered a type of "machine learning," not to be confused with artificial intelligence. These numbers have been programmed into the vehicle's software structure as opposed to AI, where the computer has the ability to make decisions that would normally be made by a human. And this is where it becomes interesting.

Cars and trucks are now recognizing speed limit signs, infotainment systems recognizing voice commands, the building blocks of artificial intelligence within our rides.

By the close of this decade, there will be some vehicles capable of recognizing a maintenance or corrective issue, contact the repair facility, then, drive itself to the shop for the fix. Some call this machine learning; others call this AI. Personally, I believe that it's a hybrid, of sorts.

The good news: We, as human drivers, still have control. Something that more than 75 percent of all drivers still crave.

Our cars and trucks have not turned the corner and become H.A.L., the program-conflicted computer of Arthur C. Clark's "2001: A Space Odyssey."

Your vehicle won't be driving you to a different grocery store just because it thinks its choice is a better option for you. But don't let your guard down. They are listening, watching and learning.

Yes. The automotive future is moving fast — literally. Almost the speed of light as even optics are becoming a strong player. So don't blink. You'll miss the fun.

________________________________________

Pam Oakes is an ASE professional automotive technician since 1995, former nationally awarded shop owner of 20 years, syndicated radio host, author, international automotive industry speaker and trainer, patent holder, field engineer and all-around car nut.