Photo: @WholeMarsBlog via X
Tesla rolled out the latest iteration of its self-driving software to a wider group of testers. The first impressions shared on social media show that progress is not always obvious. While some were blown away, in other cases, FSD Beta V12.3 made rookie mistakes. This made people question Tesla's claims that autonomous driving is, in fact, achievable.
Elon Musk has promised self-driving cars almost every year for the past ten years or so. More than this, Musk deemed every major version of the FSD Beta software as "mind-blowing" while declaring that self-driving will be achieved by the end of the year. The same optimistic message has been cast year after year, even though the Full Self-Driving software ended each year as far from being production-ready as the year before.
That's not to say that progress has stalled. However, the definition of progress has changed as the autonomous driving features have improved. With V11, Tesla's FSD Beta has leveraged neural networks to make artificial intelligence learn from watching countless videos of human driving. Finally, FSD Beta V12 eliminated the last pieces of legacy code, becoming end-to-end AI. As Elon Musk explained, neural networks are now responsible for everything, from analyzing the images recorded by the vehicle's cameras to controlling the vehicle's movement.
FSD Beta V12 has brought smoother controls and more consistent behavior in edge-case scenarios. However, like V11 in its early stages, V12 has performed differently for different testers. Some have been utterly impressed, claiming perfect drives with zero interventions. In contrast, others have complained about stupid mistakes, sometimes even worse than the previous software versions. It appears that the latest build, V12.3, is not much different.
Tesla released FSD Beta V12.3 to a wider group of beta testers on Friday, allowing people outside the Tesla employee circle to test it. As the first testers shared their impressions, it's hard to draw a conclusion. Some reported impressive improvements, while others were less impressed. To make things even more puzzling, the same people complaining about "rookie mistakes" later said that subsequent drives were flawless.
Ryan Levenson from the Kilowatts was impressed with how smoothly V12.3 accelerates and slows down. He said that the software is significantly more human than any prior version. "The experience on the freeway changing lanes and merging was potentially better than even my own driving," Ryan told his followers after being invited to assess FSD Beta V12.3 by his friend Omar Qazi (@WholeMarsBlog).
However, not all was perfect, although nobody expected it to be. The FSD Beta V12.3 struggled at several flashing red-light intersections, braking with each red flash. Funnily, the software was confused by the red lanterns in Chinatown, which were detected as red/stop traffic lights. The car also made a hard stop at a yellow light. Finally, toward the end of the video below, the driver had to take over to avoid going into the middle divider. Strangely, all subsequent drives were perfect, Omar testified.
That's not to say that progress has stalled. However, the definition of progress has changed as the autonomous driving features have improved. With V11, Tesla's FSD Beta has leveraged neural networks to make artificial intelligence learn from watching countless videos of human driving. Finally, FSD Beta V12 eliminated the last pieces of legacy code, becoming end-to-end AI. As Elon Musk explained, neural networks are now responsible for everything, from analyzing the images recorded by the vehicle's cameras to controlling the vehicle's movement.
FSD Beta V12 has brought smoother controls and more consistent behavior in edge-case scenarios. However, like V11 in its early stages, V12 has performed differently for different testers. Some have been utterly impressed, claiming perfect drives with zero interventions. In contrast, others have complained about stupid mistakes, sometimes even worse than the previous software versions. It appears that the latest build, V12.3, is not much different.
Tesla released FSD Beta V12.3 to a wider group of beta testers on Friday, allowing people outside the Tesla employee circle to test it. As the first testers shared their impressions, it's hard to draw a conclusion. Some reported impressive improvements, while others were less impressed. To make things even more puzzling, the same people complaining about "rookie mistakes" later said that subsequent drives were flawless.
Ryan Levenson from the Kilowatts was impressed with how smoothly V12.3 accelerates and slows down. He said that the software is significantly more human than any prior version. "The experience on the freeway changing lanes and merging was potentially better than even my own driving," Ryan told his followers after being invited to assess FSD Beta V12.3 by his friend Omar Qazi (@WholeMarsBlog).
However, not all was perfect, although nobody expected it to be. The FSD Beta V12.3 struggled at several flashing red-light intersections, braking with each red flash. Funnily, the software was confused by the red lanterns in Chinatown, which were detected as red/stop traffic lights. The car also made a hard stop at a yellow light. Finally, toward the end of the video below, the driver had to take over to avoid going into the middle divider. Strangely, all subsequent drives were perfect, Omar testified.
Thanks for the smooth ride @WholeMarsBlog/@Tesla. Tonight in testing half a dozen 8-15 minute San Francisco drives we experienced several perfect drives with a few that had 1-2 assists and two takeovers.
— The Kilowatts ⚡️ (@klwtts) March 14, 2024
Overall I’ve got to say FSD Beta 12.3 is damn impressive. I was most… pic.twitter.com/dPllpKVAK5
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