. . . Autopilot is assisted driving at best — a tool to help the human operator to drive better with less effort. In that capacity, Autopilot should be the safest, easiest tool to use it can possibly be. In this iteration, it fails. There's simply too much guesswork involved, and too little information accessible (i.e., in front of your face or better audio cues) to let you know what functions the car is currently performing.
Until the car can be fully relied upon to take over driving duties without interruption, it simply needs to provide more information more readily to the driver, and make its limitations crystal clear — and often.
To contrast, let's take a look at Cadillac's Super Cruise semi-autonomous system. It has its limitations, but there's a clear break where the car's duties end and the driver's begins. The sounds and flashing, colored lights on top of the steering wheel are almost impossible to ignore, and the warnings come early. Plus, the fact that the car actually monitors your attention with cameras pointed at your face is a huge difference here. We simply felt more aware of our surroundings, our duties and our vehicle's self-driving capabilities with Super Cruise than with Autopilot, despite the freedom to go hands-free. . . .
Software updates could provide solutions to a lot of the Model 3's Autopilot problems. Better audio cues and simpler, more intuitive controls (maybe move some of them to the thumbscrolls) would go a long way. But the problem still remains that there is no easily seen display in front of the driver. And there is no attention management system currently in place. The current hardware can't provide the former, and it's unclear if it can provide the latter. There is that one little camera by the rear-view mirror, but Tesla hasn't been forthright its uses or capabilities.
Regarding the usability of Autopilot in the Model 3, software can't fix the physical changes this car truly needs, chiefly a head-up display, if not an instrument panel. That would require a design refresh from Tesla. An aftermarket HUD could help, but it likely couldn't incorporate the visualization of Autopilot functions as well as a factory setup. But we ought to also consider that putting a "beta" system with a name that implies autonomy in an untrained customer's car is a questionable move. As it currently exists, approach Autopilot with caution. You are still the driver.