Photo: Kim Paquette/YouTube

Tesla plans to release a new version of its Full Self-Driving (FSD) Beta that will be solving for a major part of real-world AI in the near future. A more widely release of the updated FSD Beta is expected in Q2 2021, according to Elon Musk.

Autopilot and FSD are among the hottest topics when it comes to Tesla. While other automakers are waiting for someone to develop systems that can be installed in their cars, Tesla has already made tremendous progress in developing its own technology. FSD Beta, introduced in October, has already been improved several times. FSD beta build V8.1 can already drive almost without any driver intervention, as confirmed by beta testers and Musk.

FSD beta build V8.1 normally drives me around with no interventions. Next version is a big step change beyond that. Tesla is solving a major part of real-world AI. This is not widely known.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 3, 2021

The Tesla CEO also said that the company seeks to be as careful as possible with the period of transition of the owners of FSD to the new version of FSD Beta. This is a reasonable precaution because, at the moment, the software is still only an assistant, and the human driver must constantly monitor the driving process and be ready to intervene if necessary. However, after more than 1,000 beta testers have successfully tested it, the company is considering a wider release in Q2 when version 9.0 is released.

Yes, beta will be offered much more widely when version 9 is done, hopefully next month

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 3, 2021

Musk has previously said several times that Tesla cars will achieve full autonomy (level 5) in 2021. During the Q4 2020 Earnings Call, he said that the fact that the car completely drives passengers from one location to another through a series of complex intersections is not remarkable at all. For now, the company is committed to "just improving the corner case reliability and getting it to 99.9999% reliable with respect to an accident."

However, Musk also pointed out that a lengthy process of obtaining regulatory approvals from different countries will be required. Although by then Tesla will already be able to accumulate billions of miles/kilometers of autonomous driving, which will be difficult for regulators to argue with.

In early December, at the Axel Springer ceremony, where Musk received the award for excellence and innovation, he said that a self-driving car drives like a careful, attentive driver who never gets tired and cannot be distracted. This is the company's vision and aspiration. He stressed that it is important that the car brakes only when there is really an obstacle on the road, and not when the AI ​​just thinks there is one.

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Article edited by @SmokeyShorts, you can follow him on Twitter

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