Tesla Autopilot is the standard for AI that helps drivers, but Cadillac Super Cruise makes a strong case for how to do the same thing differently.
Cadillac is in an interesting situation now that its upcoming EV will put Tesla’s Autopilot up against Super Cruise. Automakers are moving toward a future where all cars are electric, but traditional companies like GM are still putting money into driver assistance and self-driving systems. As with the battery-powered cars themselves, Tesla has the advantage here because Autopilot came out before Cadillac’s version.

But the race will go on for a while, and it’s hard to tell when it will end. All signs point to the fact that fully autonomous vehicles are still years away from being legal on the roads in most countries. This is partly because there aren’t many standards in place. Naming conventions can be very misleading about what the software will do for a driver, the necessary infrastructure isn’t in place yet, and it seems like there’s a lot of work to be done on the research and development side to make the idea safe.
So, drivers can now choose from a number of driving AI systems that offer different levels of hands-free driving in certain situations. The Autopilot feature on Tesla cars has been around for close to eight years, and the Super Cruise system on Cadillac cars has been around for about four years. Each one is making progress toward a fully automated driving experience, but they are doing it in different ways. Both of these AIs are very different in important ways, like how they are used and how they are put together.
Tesla Autopilot Is Smarter Than Cadillac Super Cruise
As the word “smart” is used today, Tesla Autopilot is smarter than Cadillac Super Cruise in how it works with other networked devices. The main difference is that Autopilot uses AI-powered cameras and machine learning to figure out driving conditions and safety risks. In a way that seems eerily human, the cameras and sensors in a Tesla car learn from what its drivers do and “remember” it by sending that information to a network, where it is then shared with other Teslas online. So, if one Tesla knows that there is a stop sign at a certain intersection, the others should also know. Read More; What is Tesla Autopilot and How Does it Work?
The Cadillac Super Cruise gets information about the road from the maps. The system has routes that are already planned out and are updated on each vehicle every so often. The benefit is that there are fewer variables in each situation where the self-driving feature can take over. This also makes the feature work better when towing since the system doesn’t rely solely on sensors that could be blocked. The downside is that Autopilot can be turned on in more places than just pre-mapped sections of a route.

Autopilot and Super Cruise have to check if the driver is still there to make sure they aren’t asleep or otherwise not paying attention. They do this in a number of different ways. Autopilot works because the steering wheel of a Tesla has sensors that can tell when at least one hand is on it. The eye-tracking system in Super Cruise is powered by a camera. So, Super Cruise is the only one of the two AIs that lets you drive without touching the wheel. It’s easy to say that the fact that you have to keep your hand on the wheel of a Tesla with Autopilot means it’s not “self-driving.”
But Autopilot’s integration into the Tesla ecosystem is a big deal, and that’s what makes it worth it. It is installed on every Tesla car, either in its free basic form or in one of its paid, more advanced forms. This helps with the data collection, which is similar to what Skynet does, and gives it an advantage over Super Cruise, which costs money up front and then again every month. Read Also; Cadillac Lyriq EV Stylish Main Features
Also, Autopilot works well with the Tesla dashboard touchscreen. Drivers can see what the vehicle’s sensors are picking up in real-time, which can do a lot to make AI driving skeptics feel better. So, neither the Tesla Autopilot nor the Cadillac Super Cruise offers the dream (or nightmare) of a completely self-driving car. However, each has its own pros, cons, and goals. Read More; Tesla Model Y review: The Most Appealing Tesla?