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Elon Musk gives reason for Tesla Bot venture, despite his earlier AI warnings

(Credit: Tesla)

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Recently, Elon Musk explained why the Tesla Bot prototype is coming, despite his caution against potential dangers of AI in the past.

“The robots are coming anyway, as Boston Dynamics videos clearly show. I will not be able to ensure that robots made by other companies are safe, but I can try my best to do so at Tesla,” Musk answered when asked why the Tesla Bot is being made.

Before Tesla AI Day, Elon Musk was very vocal about his thoughts and stance on artificial intelligence. He has warned people about AI many times over the past few years. 

Elon Musk’s AI Warning

In 2017 Musk spoke at a National Governors Association meeting in Rhode Island about a range of topics, including AI’s impact on human existence. Musk highlighted that he had decent exposure to the most cutting-edge AI and believed people should be really concerned about it. At the time, he advocated for governments to take a proactive stance on AI regulation instead of a reactive one. 

“By the time we are reactive, it’s too late,” he said at the meeting. “There’s a role for regulators that I think is very important, and I’m against over regulation for sure, but I think we better get on that with AI.”

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Artificial Intelligence is a big subject to tackle since it affects many sectors and industries in society. Frank Pasquale notes that robots and artificial intelligence don’t have to be all doom and gloom in his bookNew Laws of Robotics: Defending Human Expertise in the Age of AI

Pasquale points out sectors in society where AI will most likely be implemented and how humans should interact with robots. He also emphasizes the need for policymakers to actively question the implications of AI and robots in society and not leave corporations or engineers to explore them alone.

Laws on AI and Robotics

According to a report by research firm Cognilytica, many countries worldwide have started exploring AI laws already. The study found that most countries had very little to no laws and regulations regarding AI. The few rules concerning AI were mainly related to data privacy and protection. In general, Cognilytica found that most countries adopted a “wait and see” approach to AI regulation.

In the United States, the government has shown some initiative towards regulating AI development. For instance, the government established the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). NIST organizes workshops and discussions about building reliable, robust AI systems with the public and private sectors.

 In 2021, at least 16 US states introduced general AI bills or resolutions, many of which are still pending.

Mississippi enacted one simple bill that sets a good example for where to start with AI. HB633 in Mississippi directed the State Department of Education to implement a K-12 computer science curriculum that included instruction on robotics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. 

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As Elon Musk pointed out, robots and humanoid robots like the Tesla Bot are already being developed. So a future with robots seems inevitable. 

By venturing into robotics, Tesla could lead by example rather than watch on the sidelines.

The Teslarati team would appreciate hearing from you. If you have any tips, reach out to me at maria@teslarati.com or via Twitter @Writer_01001101.

Maria--aka "M"-- is an experienced writer and book editor. She's written about several topics including health, tech, and politics. As a book editor, she's worked with authors who write Sci-Fi, Romance, and Dark Fantasy. M loves hearing from TESLARATI readers. If you have any tips or article ideas, contact her at maria@teslarati.com or via X, @Writer_01001101.

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Tesla Full Self-Driving gets sparkling review from South Korean politician

“Having already ridden in an unmanned robotaxi, the novelty wasn’t as strong for me, but it drives just as well as most people do. It already feels like a completed technology, which gives me a lot to think about.”

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Credit: Soyoung Lee | X

Tesla Full Self-Driving got its first sparkling review from South Korean politician Lee So-young, a member of the country’s National Assembly, earlier this week.

Lee is a member of the Strategy and Finance Committee in South Korea and is a proponent of sustainable technologies and their applications in both residential and commercial settings. For the first time, Lee was able to utilize Tesla’s Full Self-Driving technology as it launched in the country in late November.

Her thoughts on the suite were complimentary to the suite, stating that “it drives just as well as most people do,” and that “it already feels like a completed technology.”

Her translated post says:

“Finally, today I got to experience Tesla FSD in Seoul. Thanks to the Model S sponsored by JiDal Papa^^, I’m truly grateful to Papa. The route was from the National Assembly -> Mangwon Market -> Hongik University -> back to the National Assembly. Having already ridden in an unmanned robotaxi, the novelty wasn’t as strong for me, but it drives just as well as most people do. It already feels like a completed technology, which gives me a lot to think about. Once it actually spreads into widespread use, I feel like our daily lives are going to change a lot. Even I, with my license gathering dust in a drawer, don’t see much reason to learn to drive a manual anymore.”

Tesla Full Self-Driving officially landed in South Korea in late November, with the initial launch being one of Tesla’s most recent, v14.1.4.

It marked the seventh country in which Tesla was able to enable the driver assistance suite, following the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, China, Mexico, Australia, and New Zealand.

It is important to see politicians and figures in power try new technologies, especially ones that are widely popular in other regions of the world and could potentially revolutionize how people travel globally.

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Tesla dispels reports of ‘sales suspension’ in California

“This was a “consumer protection” order about the use of the term “Autopilot” in a case where not one single customer came forward to say there’s a problem.

Sales in California will continue uninterrupted.”

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has dispelled reports that it is facing a thirty-day sales suspension in California after the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) issued a penalty to the company after a judge ruled it “misled consumers about its driver-assistance technology.”

On Tuesday, Bloomberg reported that the California DMV was planning to adopt the penalty but decided to put it on ice for ninety days, giving Tesla an opportunity to “come into compliance.”

Tesla enters interesting situation with Full Self-Driving in California

Tesla responded to the report on Tuesday evening, after it came out, stating that this was a “consumer protection” order that was brought up over its use of the term “Autopilot.”

The company said “not one single customer came forward to say there’s a problem,” yet a judge and the DMV determined it was, so they want to apply the penalty if Tesla doesn’t oblige.

However, Tesla said that its sales operations in California “will continue uninterrupted.”

It confirmed this in an X post on Tuesday night:

The report and the decision by the DMV and Judge involved sparked outrage from the Tesla community, who stated that it should do its best to get out of California.

One X post said California “didn’t deserve” what Tesla had done for it in terms of employment, engineering, and innovation.

Tesla has used Autopilot and Full Self-Driving for years, but it did add the term “(Supervised)” to the end of the FSD suite earlier this year, potentially aiming to protect itself from instances like this one.

This is the first primary dispute over the terminology of Full Self-Driving, but it has undergone some scrutiny at the federal level, as some government officials have claimed the suite has “deceptive” naming. Previous Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was vocally critical of the use of the name “Full Self-Driving,” as well as “Autopilot.”

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New EV tax credit rule could impact many EV buyers

We confirmed with a Tesla Sales Advisor that any current orders that have the $7,500 tax credit applied to them must be completed by December 31, meaning delivery must take place by that date. However, it is unclear at this point whether someone could still claim the credit when filing their tax returns for 2025 as long as the order reflects an order date before September 30.

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tesla showroom
Credit: Tesla

Tesla owners could be impacted by a new EV tax credit rule, which seems to be a new hoop to jump through for those who benefited from the “extension,” which allowed orderers to take delivery after the loss of the $7,500 discount.

After the Trump Administration initiated the phase-out of the $7,500 EV tax credit, many were happy to see the rules had been changed slightly, as deliveries could occur after the September 30 cutoff as long as orders were placed before the end of that month.

However, there appears to be a new threshold that EV buyers will have to go through, and it will impact their ability to get the credit, at least at the Point of Sale, for now.

Delivery must be completed by the end of the year, and buyers must take possession of the car by December 31, 2025, or they will lose the tax credit. The U.S. government will be closing the tax credit portal, which allows people to claim the credit at the Point of Sale.

We confirmed with a Tesla Sales Advisor that any current orders that have the $7,500 tax credit applied to them must be completed by December 31, meaning delivery must take place by that date.

However, it is unclear at this point whether someone could still claim the credit when filing their tax returns for 2025 as long as the order reflects an order date before September 30.

If not, the order can still go through, but the buyer will not be able to claim the tax credit, meaning they will pay full price for the vehicle.

This puts some buyers in a strange limbo, especially if they placed an order for the Model Y Performance. Some deliveries have already taken place, and some are scheduled before the end of the month, but many others are not expecting deliveries until January.

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