This paper is different than most papers we read because it was created in response to a new problem. While a lot of papers I read build strongly upon past research, this paper was more a first stab at trying to solve a unique problem. I think that leaves it open to many criticisms and much improvement. For example, there is not much reasoning about which learning algorithm to use, and the SANE RL method seems arbitrary and overly complicated for a first attempt. In addition, while it seems the authors went through some effort to keep their learning algorithm from making simplifying observations, the algorithm learned in an oversimplified simulated traffic environment.

I think the problem addressed in this paper is interesting, and there is much room for improvement in this algorithm. I would be interested to see how this algorithm actually works in real traffic. It seems like it would be pretty harmless to test it in actual traffic, particularly since it is meant only as advice to the driver. I would also be interested to see how real customers react to the advice given. There have been some suggestions in the AI lab that such "backseat driver" advice would be annoying.