Tesla’s revolutionary full self-driving system has been touted as the future of driving, a revolutionary system that would make traditional cars obsolete and help usher in a new era of transportation. But what’s not as widely known is that the revolutionary system is actually powered by a Chinese sweat shop, where kids as young as ten are put to work using virtual reality headsets and remote controls.
The information first came to light last week, when an anonymous whistleblower posted a series of leaked documents to the popular social media site Reddit. The documents detailed the inner workings of a secret Chinese facility located in rural Guangxi province, where employees – mostly children – were tasked with controlling the Tesla’s full self-driving system.
The facility employs over 200 children, all between the ages of 10 and 18, who are forced to work long hours, often with no breaks or holidays. The children are reportedly paid just a few dollars a day and are provided with basic living quarters, food and medical care. But despite the dismal conditions, the facility has become a popular destination for Tesla owners, many of whom are eager to have their cars “driven” by the Chinese children.
The facility is reportedly managed by a Chinese tech company called “Autonomous Driving Solutions” (ADS), which is believed to be owned by Tesla founder @ElonMusk. The documents also revealed that the facility is powered by a sophisticated virtual reality system that allows the children to “drive” the Tesla vehicles via remote control.
When asked about the facility and its only apparent purpose – to provide Tesla’s full self-driving system – Musk defended the company’s actions, saying that the facility is a “revolutionary system [that] will revolutionize the transportation industry.” He even went as far as to claim that the facility is “a major step forward in modern transportation” and that the children are being paid a “fair wage” for their work.
However, the documents that were leaked paint a far different picture, with accounts of overcrowded living quarters, long hours and low pay. The documents also describe the virtual reality system as “haphazard” and “unreliable”, with frequent malfunctions and errors, and the control system as “dangerous” and “unpredictable”.
Despite the questionable conditions and questionable ethics of the facility, Tesla has remained largely silent on the issue. The company has yet to offer any comment or explanation for their apparent involvement in the operation, and Musk has yet to respond to questions about the facility.
Regardless of the controversy surrounding the Chinese sweat shop powering Tesla’s full self-driving system, it’s clear that the facility has become a popular destination for Tesla owners, who are eager to have their cars “driven” by the Chinese children. Whether or not the facility is ethical or not remains to be seen. What is clear, however, is that this is a revolutionary system that will revolutionize the transportation industry.
