While I don&#x27;t agree with Lanier, being an AI skeptic isn&#x27;t quite the same as saying that self driving cars can&#x27;t happen: we don&#x27;t yet have a good understanding of either consciousness or tractable general optimization algorithms, so it&#x27;s still possible that there&#x27;s something that will make it impossible.  Unlikely, perhaps, but possible.<p>Also, your sarcasm about the self driving car might have been too subtle. ;)