Manisha Krishnan: Yes, this season has… I mean, this is the first time I’ve watched it in 15 years. But this season was quite successful. It’s almost like they read WIRED and satirize everything. I feel like if Trump and Eric Adams started a talk show, maybe it would be a catacomb.
Zoë Schiffer: I like it.
Manisha Krishnan: Because everyone would find it amusing regardless of political lines.
Zoë Schiffer: So maybe South Park will save us after all. Literally changing gears for our next story. Our colleague Aarian Marshall reported that Tesla encourages drowsy drivers to exploit Full Autonomous Driving or FSD mode in their cars. Despite the name, this feature does not actually allow cars to drive themselves, but only helps drivers perform various basic tasks. The car’s owner’s manual states that the driver must be ready to take control at all times. However, drivers report that in-car messages tell them to do the exact opposite. The messages include the following information: “Drowsiness detected, stay focused with FSD.” Or “Lane change detected. Let FSD assist you so you can concentrate.”
Manisha Krishnan: Yes, that sounds risky. It sounds like they’re saying, “Hey, do you want to take a nap now? Let the FSD kick in.” No, they should be playing music, turning on the air conditioning, doing spin classes in there to wake you up. Tesla has made changes to its technology to make it more arduous for inattentive drivers to exploit FSD. Back in 2021, the company began using in-car driving cameras to determine where drivers were paying enough attention when using FSD.
Zoë Schiffer: This seems contrary to their previous efforts to provide greater safety around autonomous driving features. This is quite a dainty time for Tesla. For years, the company has been accused of producing products that may be defective in some respects. Last August, a Florida jury found the company was partially responsible for a 2019 accident that resulted in the death of a 22-year-old woman. The accident occurred when the driver of a Tesla Model S was using an older version of driver assistant software called Autopilot. At the same time, Elon Musk and the company’s management have placed FSD at the center of car manufacturers’ strategies. That’s why Musk promised that this feature will evolve into a truly autonomous driving system by the end of the year, although this seems unlikely. And Elon Musk is widely known for promising quite aggressive time frames, which then repeatedly come true. One more thing before we go to break. WIRED Science reporter Emily Mullin reported this week that scientists have produced human eggs from skin cells and are using them to form embryos. This is a huge deal because it could mean a fresh way of treating infertility for people who want to have children. But to be clear, none of the embryos were actually used to try to establish a pregnancy. And it’s unlikely they would have developed much further than the uterus. But it’s still a really gigantic deal because it could one day be used as an alternative to IVF.