Artificial Intelligence becomes A REALITY

Automakers could be among the leaders in deploying AI in free-standing, high-reliability environments. But developers must determine how to mitigate undesirable side-effects.

The soaring role of software has already fostered many changes for automakers, but those transitions may pale in comparison to the challenges expected when Artificial Intelligence is employed in the race to autonomous driving. Machine learning cedes even more control to software, raising myriad design and testing issues-while also provoking legal and ethical questions.

Automakers and Tier 1s alike are embracing AI's potential, saying it's needed to analyze the myriad elements that self-driving cars must understand. Ford invested $1 billion in startup Argo AI. Toyota Research Institute will devote $1 billion to AI development over five years.