[nothatscool]

I don’t know why tesla didn’t name autopilot copilot and full self driving autopilot. I guess in reality a copilot is much more sophisticated than an autopilot (because it’s a person) but I think it works much better with how those words are used colloquially. Look at GitHub copilot.

[ben_w]

I think the argument is that an aircraft autopilot is similarly limited.

I don’t like this argument, on the grounds that the average driver has no reason to know what actual autopilots do — I certainly don’t — and therefore naturally go by what it sounds like it does.

[mrguyorama]

Also modern plane autopilots are significantly less limited than that argument claims.

Even a cheaper autopilot in a Cessna can take you from the airspace above your starting airport to the airspace of your destination, including lining up final approach maneuvers, with zero input from the pilot. Modern planes absolutely can fly and navigate themselves, but for safety, operational, and policy reasons pilots often don't use the full capability of these autopilots.

[fckgw]

Tesla's value comes from a fantasy where they can say the cars drive themselves. Admitting that Autopilot is just a fancy Lane Keeping Assist + Adaptive Cruise Control is bad for that illusion.