Elon Musk’s long-promised Full Self-Driving software update could finally be nearing its consumer launch after months of buzz and delays.
Dubbed “FSD version 12,” this eagerly anticipated update aims to unlock even greater autonomous driving powers in Tesla cars. Musk claims it will enable vehicles to smoothly handle complex urban situations like tricky turns and intersections that still flummox machines.
After initially announcing the software last year, Musk has been putting FSD 12 through rigorous internal testing. Recent “v12.1” versions have been deployed to groups of employee testers, who provide valuable feedback Tesla engineers then use to tweak and train the software further before public release.
Unlike earlier versions, FSD 12 relies less on rigid programming and more on advanced neural networks that have observed millions of real-world driving examples to learn what to do. FSD 12 still has a beta label though, meaning it likely needs more evaluation by company insiders first.
Last August, Musk live-streamed a demo drive on suburban roads using an early FSD 12 build. The ride showed impressive progress navigating stop signs and turns, but also a few hiccups highlighting the work still ahead. As Musk transparently put it, it was unfinished footage meant as a candid progress report.
If Tesla can smooth out remaining quirks in FSD 12, it would mark a game-changer in assisted driving autonomy and inch closer towards Musk’s vision of full self-driving one day. Stay tuned for what’s likely the most advanced autonomous tech yet from this industry pioneer.
