No question that thought is comforting, but that is the example of the benefit which never appears before your eyes (i.e. it is not tangible, unlike the converse). I am not saying people should stop working on autonomous cars, it was just a comment on how fraught with moral weight the occupation is, particularly for the pioneers.
But commercial aviation is extremely safe. I think the point is where it will be, not where it is.
This being said, having to balance business issues and safety of a system with as long a lever-arm as this seems blindingly difficult. I wonder hos much of the real work here is ultimately more like insurance than engineering ( as if there were any real difference to start with ).
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/09/self-d...