Taylor Jackson, an independent porn star, has reportedly become the first person to shoot an adult movie in Tesla Autopilot. Though such use of the autopilot could be expected, this latest incident has again triggered a debate over the safety of using Autopilot.
Couple shot an adult movie in Tesla Autopilot
Jackson’s nine-minute blue-movie clip where she engages in various sex acts with a man driving a Tesla Model X on Autopilot quickly went viral. The clip became so popular that it made “Tesla” the most searched term on the Pornhub, an adult-rated website.
Holy shit, I made @Tesla the #1 search on pornhub.@elonmusk @xhottestchicks @Natuky85 @LegZZ69 pic.twitter.com/FUZg2BksAT
— Taylor Jackson (@TaylorJacksonxx) May 2, 2019
“Earlier this year I was on a road trip with my boyfriend and he asked me to have sex with him while driving. We both thought it was hot and joked about doing it again and putting it on Pornhub. We thought someone had to have done it before so we looked it up, but we couldn’t find a single video,” Jackson told El Reg.
Pornhub even posted an image from Jackson’s video on Instagram. “Reporting you to Elon for not having two hands on the wheel with autopilot enabled,” the post read.
There have been a few incidents in the past involving self-driving cars that should act as a deterrent, but it clearly appears that they are not. For instance, a self-driving car has killed a pedestrian in 2018. At the time, a 49-year old woman was pushing her bicycle to cross a road, but somehow walked outside the lines of the crosswalk. The Uber driver, who was driving a self-driving Volvo car at the time, was reportedly watching Hulu when his car hit the woman.
Prior to this incident, another incident involving a self-driving car was reported in Williston, Florida. At the time, a man got killed after his Tesla Model S in Autopilot mode hit a truck. It was reported that the Model S rammed into the truck that was crossing the road because it (Model S) was unable to distinguish the white truck against the sky.
Jackson doesn’t recommend it
It is possible that this stunt of filming an adult movie in Tesla Autopilot might inspire others to do the same. We all know that autopilot technology is not fool-proof and could even lead to death. Though Tesla’s Autopilot is powered by AI and is improving, it is still highly recommended that drivers keep their hands on the wheel.
Tesla’s Autopilot technology is meant to assist drivers, and not replace them. Though the feature helps the drivers accelerate, brake and automatically steer, it does require “active driver supervision and does not make the vehicle autonomous,” Tesla says in the support documents.
Even Jackson did not recommend others to do the stunt that she pulled off. She said that the idea of cuddling inside a self-driving car may seem like a new experience, but it is dangerous and hence is not recommended.
Jackson noted that she felt safe with the idea because she has experienced Autopilot a lot and that most of the road where they used the technology was straight. She even recounted one instance where she accidentally disabled the Autopilot mode after hitting the steering wheel. Tesla’s Autopilot system can be disabled by applying force to the steering wheel.
“I wouldn’t recommend it since it is dangerous,” she said.
Is Musk to blame?
Elon Musk, on the other hand, has been promoting Tesla’s self-driving capabilities. Musk recently said that Tesla’s self-driving capabilities by the end of the year would be safe enough for drivers to take their hands off of the wheel.
Then, earlier this year on 60 Minutes with Leslie Stahl, Musk was interviewed while behind the wheel of a Model 3. The interview went smoothly, but one part of the interview that caught people’s attention was when Musk took his hands off the wheel to show the Model 3’s driver-assisted Autopilot feature.
Many believe that by taking his hands off the wheel, he missed a chance to educate the world about the Autopilot, but rather he used it to advertise their product. Musk, with his action, communicated to millions around the world that Autopilot is a good enough technology to be driven without putting their hands on the wheel.
People have died from driving a Tesla on Autopilot. Moreover, Musk even forgot that Tesla’s own support page recommends keeping your hands on the wheel.
With Musk setting such expectations, it is no surprise that people are trying innovative things, such as shooting an adult movie in Tesla Autopilot.
