The self-driving scenario is definitely much closer to reality now, as automakers gird their technologies toward that ultimate purpose. As we at Motor Trend have tested repeatedly, the technology is indeed here in nascent stages and is improving rapidly. The combined brainpower of Detroit, Stuttgart, Tokyo, and Silicon Valley will not be denied.
Humanity: While we are in this lengthy transition phase, how autonomous cars interact with erratic, even impaired humans remains one of the biggest hurdles facing autonomous-car programmers. Some argue that a computer can more accurately predict unpredictable human behavior than another human; the default autonomous response so far is "slow down." But people want autonomous cars to get them to their destination faster. Merely replacing America's 250 million human-controlled cars with autonomous ones—crawling in the same mosh pit—should not be the ultimate goal.
Look, this advancement is going to happen. The ability to create autonomous vehicles is not at issue. At issue is how to incorporate 21st century technology into a world that is still mired in the 20th. And that will take time.