What makes a better driving coach, a human or an AI data analyst? | Articles

Wanna Kill All Humans?

No, I don’t hate robots. Then again, none have hunted me or my loved ones for sport, so it suffices to say we have a mutually respectful arrangement for the time being. I do occasionally help folks go faster, though, whether it’s their first time on track or they’re seeking more confidence and accompanying speed. 

I’ve also been known to use artificial intelligence for these exercises. But could that tech replace someone like me? The question intrigued me: If someone was looking to get on track for the first time, could robot claws outperform human hands?

The exercise we proposed was simple: Let’s take two drivers with little track experience to our official test course, the Florida International Rally & Motorsport Park. I would guide one of them through the day, while the other would be taught by the Garmin Catalyst. This tablet-like device uses AI, GPS-based data acquisition and accelerometer data to coach drivers to a theoretical best lap. 

Of course, this is not a purely scientific exercise. The only way to accomplish that would be to separate a pair of identical twins at birth and raise them in carefully constructed parallel environments to a suitable age before conducting our experiment, culminating in them fighting to the death. This path, however, was not within our editorial budget or time constraints, and apparently there were also ethical concerns. 

So, fine, we’ll do it the hard way.

Two Meatbags, Coming Up

Our two test subjects came from the GRM staff. Neither had much track time. 

Colin Wood, who manages much of our digital editorial flow and constructs a clever meme or two, had practically zero track experience outside of racing games and sims. Chris Tropea, who runs our video department, has been around the track hundreds of times, although much of that was while hanging out of…