>> We already know this is about self-driving cars. Passing a driver's test was already possible in 2015 or so, but SDCs clearly aren't ready for L5 deployment even today.> Who told you that? Passing a driver's test was not possible in 2015 and it's not possible today. You might pass, but only if there are no awkward interactions with other drivers or bicyclists and pedestrians, no construction zones, and you don't enter areas where your map is out of date.
My, myself, and I.
Driver's exams are de facto geo-fenced around the DMV where you choose to take the exam, and you get to choose from a few DMV locations, and you get to choose the time and day that you take the exam.
Having spent some time working on self driving cars, I know that there existed at least one SDC platform in 2015 that was capable of passing the driving exam that I took when I got my driver's license (which involved leaving the parking lot, driving down a 4 lane road, turning into and driving around in a subdivision, taking another couple turns at well-marked intersections, pulling into the parking lot, and parallel parking). It's a low bar; mostly testing that you can follow four different types of road signs, navigate an unprotected left turn, and parallel park.
I suppose following the officer's verbal instructions about where to go wasn't part of the SDC platform, but the actual driving part it would've been capable of passing.