Tesla has finally released Full Self-Driving (FSD) Beta v12.3 to the public with a wide release in the US over the weekend, and the switch to end-to-end neural nets appears to paying dividends with “overwhelmingly positive” feedback.
Until the wide release of v12.3 over the weekend, which so far has not appeared for Canadian drivers, Tesla was using hundreds of thousands of lines of code to power FSD Beta. However with v12.3, Tesla removed all of that code to instead use end-to-end neural nets, with the vehicle deciding what to do based entirely on what it sees, and not human-programmed code.
Musk said this switch would be “mind-blowing,” a term he has used more than once before to describe a new release of FSD Beta, but this time it appears to be an accurate assessment.
Ashok Elluswamy, Director – Autopilot Software at Tesla and the man behind the FSD Beta program says the response from owners has been “overwhelmingly positive,” and the results his team has been able to produce over the last few months has exceeded what the previous versions have been able to accomplish “over many years.”
Setting the stage for what to expect after v12.3, Elluswamy said there will be “unprecedented progress,” even just within the v12.x branch. Elluswamy also said that FSD Beta will soon be able to reverse, something it has never done before, and that ‘Actually Smart Summon’ will be included in “the next few releases.”
The common thread in the feedback from owners about v12.3 is that car’s movements are much smoother and feels more human-like, and that it can make correct decisions in the heat of the moment that it never could before.
Unfortunately v12.3 has not appeared on Canadian vehicles, outside of employees who have already been testing the software. With the positive response from owners in the US, we are hoping it will be released north of the border soon, but no timeline has been given by employees.
Here is a sampling of some videos showcasing the abilities of FSD Beta v12.3.
This clip blew my mind, next level for FSDBeta v12.3 in finding its way out of a bad situation. Nice work @Tesla_AI pic.twitter.com/9cDccpr2uO
— Chuck Cook (@chazman) March 16, 2024
Here is a great highlight of the Narrow Unmarked Roads before and after … FSDBeta v12.3 totally vaporized this issue with End To End Neural Network autonomy. Enjoy @Tesla_AI, and congratulations on your work. pic.twitter.com/DHdmIPxYMg
— Chuck Cook (@chazman) March 17, 2024
Tested FSD v12.3 in downtown Chicago yesterday — zero disengagements / interventions in the first 30 minutes despite incredibly dense traffic & pedestrians during St. Patrick's Day festivities. Extremely impressive.
— Rob Maurer (@TeslaPodcast) March 17, 2024
A couple of my favorite moments are at 5:17 and 7:00. Overall,… pic.twitter.com/bSn6uOYi6X
Another super nice move for FSD V12.3 negotiating through tight space and limited visibility on this right turn. This one is really challenging. @elonmusk @tesla_ai @tezmeeinc pic.twitter.com/F99S3YgxJz
— Edge Case (@edgecase411) March 15, 2024
Wow. Rate this robotaxi move 👀
— Edge Case (@edgecase411) March 17, 2024
We need to make a right at the light but blue bus is blocking the turning lane. So what do we do? We follow the orange bus in front who makes the turn from the straight lane? But then we get caught in the red light. What happens now?!@elonmusk… pic.twitter.com/FJHQ6wuoQf
