Former Tesla worker blows whistle on safety of company's self-driving technology

05 December 2023 , 19:18

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A whistleblower raised concerns about Teslas and their ability to drive safely on the road using AI technology (Image: Bloomberg via Getty Images)

A former Tesla worker claims the electric car giant’s self-driving technology is not safe enough to be used on public roads. Whistleblower Lukasz Krupski has raised fresh concerns about artificial intelligence (AI) being used for Tesla’s Autopilot function.

The system includes assisted steering and parking. But, despite its name, it still requires someone in the driver’s seat with their hands on the wheel. “I don’t think the hardware is ready and the software is ready,” Mr Krupski told the BBC.

“It affects all of us because we are essentially experiments in public roads.” Tesla, with a stock market value of nearly £600billion, has been contacted for a response.

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Lukasz Krupski said blowing the whistle has had detrimental impacts on his health

Billionaire boss Elon Musk, posted on X/ Twitter last weekend:” Tesla has by far the best real-world AI.” Mr Krupski, originally from Poland, worked as a service technician for Tesla in Norway.

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He claims he was fired after raising concerns about the firm’s driver assistance software. He leaked data, including customer complaints about Tesla’s braking and self-driving technology, to German newspaper Handelsblatt.

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Tesla's autopilot function is getting there, but it isn't quite there yet, Krupski claims (AFP via Getty Images)

Mr Krupski claims Tesla employee had told him about vehicles randomly braking in response to nonexistent obstacles - known as “phantom braking”.

Jack Stilgoe, an associate professor at University College London who researches autonomous vehicles, said: “This is a sort of test case of artificial intelligence in the wild, on the open road, surrounded by all the rest of us.”

Reports say Tesla’s own data shows that, at the end of 2022, drivers using Autopilot were much less likely to crash than those who did not have it switched on. Mr Krupski told the BBC that turning whistleblower had impacted his health. “I barely sleep at night sometimes,” he said.

Graham Hiscott