I agree that it is somewhat pessimistic, but the key part is the amount of money in it. History has shown that capitalism (especially in the US) has long lasting impacts that we cannot comprehend yet. I think clear regulations and safety standards are crucial to make AVs useful for people.
Fair point, but I think there are technical solutions for differentiation
Another more crazy idea could be to use a remote (e.g. a smartphone) which communicates with lights to automatically have illuminaiton around you from public lights. People could even set their own brightness
What about some combination of 2 and 3 with "smart" control, like motion activated or buttons that light up a street for the next 500m or so and turn off after some time
Exactly this. Also a few self driving cars where they make sense will not make a handful rich.