So the arguments against my comment (and downvotes) so far have been about how people are stupid or how they base their reality on action movie knowledge.
I don't think people are that stupid, really. And I don't think they don't understand that Tesla's autopilot is not a chauffeur.
As I said, I do think Tesla can do a better job and hey they should probably consider a new name just to get this over with, but I simply cannot agree with everyone in all these threads going on and on about the name being at fault.
People would find some other thing to blame if the name were drive assistant or cruise control, as long as Tesla is advertising or wants to advertise the more modern features of it. Say Tesla says it's advanced cruise control doing a, b, and c that others don't provide, people will still blame a, b, or c when those linked with driver neglect cause an accident.
Note, I'm also not saying Tesla is great here and not at fault. If their systems don't do a, b, and c properly or steer you into a concrete wall then it's their fault. But IMO it's just not because it's called autopilot.
What I think instead is that the fact that there is a system that let's people zone out in 90 per cent of traffic without annoying the driver about paying attention is the issue. It really doesn't matter what the name is as long as there are measures in place to keep the driver focused.
I think the whole issue clashes though. It's difficult to have these auto-steering features for comfort but then demand reduced comfort. So bottom line for me is that those systems all aren't ready and the naming is simple a bikeshedding topic because it is easy to attack and also brings put this "people are stupid" superiority feeling in people.