Artificial intelligence is slowly evolving and taking on a more prominent role. It seems AI will soon take over the automotive industry completely. For most people, the automotive industry is mostly about self-driving cars. And while that sounds cool and exciting, the AI is doing much more than just driving. It can keep us connected and on schedule. It also keeps you safe even when you are driving yourself. All of this means that AI is turning into a huge business. In fact, experts estimate that automotive manufacturing and cloud services will exceed $10 billion by 2024.

So, what is about AI that is so enticing, and what impact is it having on the automotive industry. Let’s take a look in this article:

Driving features of AI

AI offers two levels of functionality: driver assists and autonomous mode. Here are some of the differences:

Driver Assist

AI aims to assist the driver by making him/her feel more comfortable in the driver’s seat. It monitors several sensors and can easily identify if there is a dangerous situation around the corner. AI can alert the driver, or take emergency control of the vehicle to avoid an accident and prevent a potential catastrophe. With emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring and driver-assist steering, accidents can be avoided completely.

Driverless Automobiles

While the notion of steering, braking, and acceleration has been present in the car for decades, it has not led to autonomous cars lining the street. This is because carrying out these functions requires a brain and some learning, which the vehicles did not have. However, in recent years, two major companies have led to the development of driverless cars. These are Google and Tesla

Google

Waymo is Google’s plan to achieve dominance in the AI market. It has been conducting tests in Phoenix. At the same time, Waymo’s AI used data from the vehicle’s radar, high-resolution cameras, and GPS to produce control signals that operate the vehicle.

It can also predict what obstacles the car can run into and how to avoid it. For instance, it can sense if there is a pedestrian on the sidewalk who is going to cross the street at any second. It also knows when another car is in the lane, when to stop and when to start again. The most important thing about AI in this field is that it is constantly learning. It is adjusting to the rules and regulations needed to navigate the road. The best part is that the information is made available to the rest of the fleet of cars. Consequently, the result is a virtual network of self-driving cars which are learning as they navigate the roads.

Tesla

Another company that is dominating the automotive industry is Tesla. The cars have eight cameras, ultrasonic sensors, GPS, and forward-facing radar. The data is fed into the AI program. This allows the vehicle to use the data and then navigate the streets.

Tesla’s car goes beyond the one set up by Google. If you are not in the mood to speak, it will simply check your calendar for the appointment and by using GPS, take you there. Tesla is almost there. However, it does require regulatory approval, which will be given shortly.

AI Cloud services

Whether the car is functioning purely through AI, or it is receiving some assistance from the driver, the fact is that AI needs a huge amount of data to process quickly and efficiently. This has resulted in a higher need for maintenance. For instance, unlike conventional vehicles, AI vehicles have dozens of sensors to monitor and detect any type of problem. They monitor thousands of data points per second. Because of this, AI can spot a small change that can indicate some failure long before it can cause trouble.

Furthermore, between email ads that can hide beneath the trick subject lines, click baits, and social media monetization, competition has become deadly in this field. What makes things worse it that sorting through the raw data has become more impractical. To counter this, AI-based platforms do offer ideal solutions to target their audience. Now, by using this data, AI can target the drivers. For instance, if the driver’s social media indicates that she is getting married, the cloud services will alert them of a bridal sale from a nearby boutique. Isn’t that convenient?

AI Insurance

Insurance companies have embraced a future that calls for the use of AI cars. With this, AI can do something that will speed up the processing time of filing complaints. When accidents occur, it generally takes a long time for the complaint to be filed and processed. With AI Insurance, it will take lesser time. IN fact, the collaboration is going so well that there is a new buzzword, Insurtech floating around.

Additionally, AI can also predict how safe a driver will be by creating risk profiles based on individual risk factors already present in the big data. From health issues to divorce, several things may impact the driver’s ability to drive safely. AI insurance will take all that into account.

Driver monitoring

AI cars don’t just watch the road; they keep an eye on the driver as well. The software being used can identify if the driver is in the vehicle or not. By using the AI facial recognition algorithm, it can also identify who is driving. For instance, mother, children or husband. AI also has the ability to detect distracted drivers and alert them when something goes wrong. This can help prevent an accident.

Furthermore, AI also allows control of the infotainment by using gestures. It understands that it is difficult to take your eyes off the road, so simple gesturing takes care of the problem.

Last words

It seems that AI has started to impact the automotive world and the changes are far advanced and more deep-rooted than what was initially perceived. The changes are here to stay, and with time, the industry will evolve even more and leave its footmark on the world.

Writing by Muneer Mujahed Lyati

Source: thehearup