[Robotbeat]

It’s called autopilot because “autopilot” already has a technical meaning which doesn’t imply self-driving. Heck, some aircraft autopilots are so primitive they only keep the aircraft in level flight without terrain following (although some do that). No versions of autopilot mean the pilot doesn’t have to pay attention. This is all already established through broad use before Tesla introduced the term to cars.

The same linguistic games you’re trying to play for “autopilot” apply just as well to “cruise control” or worse, since that term didn’t have an already-understood technical definition when introduced to cars.