Karen Radley Volkswagen Official Blog
Is artificial intelligence necessary for future cars?
By Product Expert | Posted in Volkswagen Technology on Monday, January 8th, 2018 at 12:15 pm
Volkswagen teams up with NVIDIA to work on automotive AI
If the automotive industry wasn’t so deeply competitive, we might still be riding around in compact cars that could barely put out 50 horsepower. It’s the competition that forced brands to put so much effort into research and development. In most cases, every automotive maker is focused on improving the same technology, and it’s a race to see which ones does it faster or better. In today’s tech-focused world, this often means teaming up with companies outside of the automotive industry. For this reason, Volkswagen has teamed up with NVIDIA to work on AI for future vehicles.
Why does VW want to put AI in future cars?
Let’s face it: Most collisions are caused by driver error. Running stop signs, getting distracted, driving too fast for conditions – these are just some of the things that are caused by human error. Artificial intelligence is seen as a necessary part of the future because it can not only work to create a “personal assistant” on the go, but is also necessary when it comes to autonomous driving technology. This is especially true as we head into a potential period when there would be a mix of autonomous vehicles and vehicles operated by humans. Artificial intelligence needs to be improved to help predict what humans will do behind the wheel, which can be the toughest part of providing safer vehicles.
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Another key reason to work with NVIDIA, a leader in AI, is that future vehicles will easily be updated through software upgrades, rather than requiring new hardware. As technology advances to improve driver assistance, facial and gesture recognition and more, future vehicles will be easier to upgrade.
As we head into a future where vehicles might just drive without the need for you to provide any input, it’s clear we need artificial intelligence to develop and improve when it comes to predicting different driving situations.
Are you excited for more advanced vehicles, or worried about losing your feeling of freedom behind the wheel? Share your thoughts with a comment here at the Karen Radley Volkswagen Blog.
