Tesla FSD v12 Rolls Out to Employees With Update 2023.38.10 (Update: Elon Confirms)

By Kevin Armstrong
Tesla has started rolling out FSD v12 to employees
Tesla has started rolling out FSD v12 to employees
Not a Tesla App

Elon Musk announced earlier this month that Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) v12 would be released in two weeks. The usual timeframe reference Musk is famous for was met with skepticism. However, it seems that Tesla is right on track with its rollout.

We have learned through a trusted source that FSD v12 has started rolling out internally with Tesla update 2023.38.10.

Update: Musk has responded to our article on X, confirming that Tesla has indeed starting rolling out FSD v12 to employees.

FSD v12 is the update that is expected to remove "beta" from the title. The initial rollout to employees appears more limited in scale than previous updates. Considering the magnitude of the changes in this version, it makes sense to start slow.

Public Release

The timing of this internal release is close to two major Tesla events. The Cybertruck delivery event is just a few days away. Many eyes will be on the company during the event, allowing Tesla to possibly show the world its latest breakthrough. Alternatively, the highly anticipated holiday update, often regarded as the best update of the year, is expected to be released by 'Santa Musk' in the coming weeks, potentially featuring v12 as a significant addition.

Newer Features

The latest public FSD build, v11.4.7.3, is Tesla update 2023.27.7. This FSD build is several revisions behind the latest production builds, so it's nice to see that v12 will bring FSD beta testers back up to speed with some of the latest Tesla features such as Predictive Charger Availability, Faster Hazard Lights After a Crash, and other features included in updates 2023.32 and 2023.38.

As for FSD improvements, we haven't had a chance to see the release notes for FSD v12 yet. However, now that it has started going out to employees, it shouldn't be long before we find out all the FSD improvements included in this milestone release.

FSD v12: A Leap Forward with Neural Net Use

A significant change in v12 is eliminating over 300,000 lines of code previously governing FSD functions that controlled the vehicle, replaced by further reliance on neural networks. This transition means the system reduces its dependency on hard-coded programming. Instead, FSD v12 is using neural networks to control steering, acceleration, and braking for the first time. Up until now, neural networks have been limited to detecting objects and determining their attributes, but v12 will be the first time Tesla starts using neural networks for vehicle control.

The FSD v12 represents a significant leap in Tesla's FSD technology. Musk has described it as an "end-to-end AI", employing a "photon in, controls out" approach akin to human optical processing. This analogy underscores Tesla's ambition to replicate human-like decision-making capabilities in its vehicles.

Labeled as a "Baby AGI" (Artificial General Intelligence), the system is designed to perceive and understand the complexities of the real world. This philosophical and technological shift in AI-driven autonomy was vividly showcased during a live-streamed drive by Musk through Palo Alto, where the Model S demonstrated smooth and almost flawless navigation through various real-world scenarios, including construction zones, roundabouts, and traffic. That was three months ago; imagine how much the system has learned in 90 days.

Looking Forward: The Future of Tesla's AI Endeavors

The rollout of FSD v12 marks a critical point in Tesla's journey in AI and autonomous driving. It's not just about technological prowess but also about aligning AI with nuanced human behavior. With Musk's continued focus on AI, which is evident across his ventures, Tesla remains a crucial player in the EV market and the broader AI revolution.

As we await further details on the public release of FSD v12 and its potential showcase at the Cybertruck event, it's clear that Tesla is moving closer to a future where cars are not just self-driving but are also intelligent and responsive to the complexities of the real world.

Smart Assistant 'Grok' Coming to Tesla, Demo of Grok 3 Tonight

By Karan Singh
Not a Tesla App

xAI’s Grok AI Model has been receiving rapid updates, similar to Tesla’s FSD. After waiting for a major update, the latest version—Grok 3—is set to launch with a live demo on February 17th.

Grok 3 is supposed to bring big improvements, as xAI has changed its approach to training the Large Language Model (LLM). Unlike many other LLMs, Grok can access real-time information and adapt its answers based on the latest news and discussions happening on X’s platform, making it more suited for current events or breaking news.

At the World Governments Summit in Dubai, Elon also mentioned that Grok 3 is already outperforming its competitors, so there is a lot to look forward to. Let’s dig into the new capabilities and then see why they matter to Tesla drivers.

New Capabilities

This time, Grok is set to feature self-correction, reinforcement learning, and synthetic datasets. Self-correction allows Grok to identify and fix its own mistakes, with human oversight ensuring that the process is guided. This helps refine Grok’s future responses as part of its ongoing training.

Reinforcement learning, meanwhile, rewards or penalizes the AI based on its actions. When it performs correctly, it receives a reward, reinforcing that behavior; penalties reduce the likelihood of undesirable actions. Combined with new synthetic datasets, xAI can accelerate Grok’s training process, much like how Tesla’s AI team has been refining FSD. There’s definitely a lot of overlap between the two.

Voice Support

Grok is one of the few remaining publicly available AIs that doesn’t have a live-voice mode. Its competitors - including Google’s Gemini and OpenAI’s ChatGPT - both have live voice response and reasoning and will also integrate and hook into 3rd-party services over voice.

That’s going to be a key feature as Tesla looks to Grok to power its upcoming voice assistant in their vehicles.

Tesla Demo

Musk has previously stated that all Tesla vehicles will eventually receive Grok as a Smart Voice Assistant—one far more capable than the current voice command system.

With changes to the Navigation Voice globally, as well as the “Hi” command finally returning a response, we’re on the verge of Tesla’s integration of a voice assistant.

Tonight’s demo, at 8 pm PT is expected to be live, potentially showing off the integration into Tesla vehicles. Millions of existing Tesla vehicles worldwide could soon take advantage of Grok as a voice assistant. There’s even a rumor of a wake word for the feature — potentially Grok.

Grok’s real-time capabilities mean you could ask it to add a stop to your route for food at the highest-rated local restaurant with minimal wait. Grok would gather and process that information while your car drives itself, then update your route, allowing FSD to take you directly there. You’ll also be able to ask general knowledge questions, such as the weather for tomorrow or the price of Tesla stock.

Controlling the vehicle will also be greatly upgraded. While the current voice command system can handle simple tasks like “Open Charge Port” or “Turn on Defrost,” the new system should be able to handle more complex requests and allow drivers to ask things in a more natural way.

We expect to find out more about Grok in Teslas tonight. Even if the demo tonight doesn’t specifically mention Tesla, a look at Grok’s new abilities could be a first look at what we’ll soon be able to experience in our Teslas.

Tesla Executives Confirm Robotaxi on Track for June

By Karan Singh
Not a Tesla App

At the Tesla Q4 2024 Earnings Call, we found out that Tesla now has a firm date and set location for the first deployment of its Robotaxi fleet. Now, several of Tesla's executives have re-iterated that deployment date and location in several different places.

Like most Tesla fans and investors, we’re excited to see Cybercab make its official debut on the streets of Austin, Texas, sometime in June. That’s potentially less than 100 days away - but who’s counting, right?

Elon Confirms

Elon Musk confirmed on X that Tesla is still on track to launch autonomous ride-hailing (Robotaxi) in Austin this June. Plus, they’re also working on rolling it out to even more cities in the United States by the end of the year.

Tesla’s benchmark for expanding deployments is ensuring that Robotaxi safety surpasses the average human driver by a wide margin. Based on the latest Vehicle Safety Report, Supervised FSD is already making strong progress, outperforming the average driver by 10.5 times—a full order of magnitude.

Franz Confirms

Franz Von Holzhausen, Tesla’s Head of Vehicle Design, also confirmed that Tesla will be offering Cybercab rides in Austin starting in June. What’s key here is that he confirmed the presence of Cybercabs finally deploying - it won’t be driverless Model Ys or Model 3s - it’ll be the Cybercab.

That means an autonomy-first vehicle without a driver’s seat, steering wheel, or pedals will be on the road and driving people from point to point. Major autonomy competitors like Waymo use heavily modified EVs that still have seats and vehicle controls intact. An autonomy-first design increases passenger room and storage while also improving efficiency by reducing vehicle weight.

Are you planning on making your way down to Austin to experience the Robotaxi experience first-hand or are you planning on waiting until it’s deployed in a city near you? Let us know your thoughts in our forums or social media.

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