American electric vehicle giant Tesla finally launched its first showroom in India on Tuesday (July 15).
Here's revisiting an episode of Prime Video's 2022 legal drama series Guilty Minds, which followed a unique case where a fictional self-driving car manufacturer EHNO is accused of causing an accident.
A teenager named Priya is going home in a self-driving car brand called EHNO. The car is programmed to stop when it senses an external stimulus.
In this case, the car ferrying Priya comes to a stop when a man suddenly steps in front of it. The next moment, a speeding car comes from behind and strikes the stationary EHNO, which in turn hits the man in the front. The man loses his legs in the accident and the driver of the taxi, which came from behind, dies.
The owner of EHNO, who lost his son to an accident and developed the driverless car after years of R&D, reaches out to popular law film Khanna & Khanna Associates to argue his case.
"I thought technology can take care of us. But..." the owner says.
During the case proceedings, the prosecutor side accuses EHNO of a hit-and-run -- after the accident occurred the car reversed and tried "to flee the crime scene", basically alluding to how AI-programmed machines were also running away shunning responsibility, very much like their creators.
But, did the car really try to hit-and-run?
According to EHNO's R&D head, the car must have had a reason to respond the way it did, adding that it kept the passenger it was carrying safe. The defence lawyer presents the same argument in court.
The prosecution argues that EHNO killed a person in the other car.
In the final verdict, the judge rules that while the claims are right, all parties are equally responsible in this accident. He then orders EHNO to award 33% compensation to each of the two petitioners.
With Tesla opening shop in Mumbai's Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC), it's clear that the company regards India as a potential new market. A section of tech savvy and environmentally conscious Indians is also looking towards the American automaker for better and more sustainable options on the road. But, there's no harm in keeping driverless cars off Indian roads for a little longer.