The Future of Artificial Intelligence in the Automotive Industry

If you ask the average person about artificial intelligence in the automotive industry, the most common answer will be something about self-driving cars. While that technology is in development, that is not the focus of this column. Let's look at the future of artificial intelligence in the automotive industry. 

One example of this is the backup camera. Anyone can add a backup camera to their car. However, it is intelligence that warns you not to back up because there is an approaching car or tells you to stop because you're too close to the wall behind you. Lane departure warning systems use a similar combination of sensors and artificial intelligence, telling the human driver when they're too close to the edge of their lane. They don't replace the driver but advise them.

Auto machine learning is being used to take these systems to the next level. For example, algorithms used for lane departure warning systems tie into the software used for self-parking cars. 

Infotainment systems combine information and entertainment into one system built into the car. They often provide satellite radio, route incoming cell phone calls to speakers in the car and aid the driver in navigation. It may let the kids watch movies on screens in the backseat or play your favorite podcast once you give it the verbal command. These systems rely on AI just like the artificial intelligence behind search engines. In fact, they may integrate with said AIs, whether you're asking your car computer to search the internet and report the closest Chinese restaurant to your current location or the fastest directions to the nearest Emergency Room. 

We already have toll tag systems that scan your license plate, track your progress and send you a bill for your time on the tollway. Next-generation payment by vehicle systems could track your RFID toll tag, the ID of the computer in your car, or another unique identifier and then bill you for various services. Imagine paying for food in the pickup lane automatically. A related technology in the works would report when you've shown up to pick up items from the store. For example, instead of telling the restaurant or grocery store that you're there for curbside pickup, the systems would automatically relay notice of your arrival to the business so they can drop off the item with you. This sort of system could tie into pay-by-vehicle or payment information stored in the retailer's app. 

Our cars already have far more built-in diagnostic systems than they had twenty years ago. Forget the generic check engine light and temperature warning. You can already receive notice when the tire pressure is too low, or the car's infotainment system can't get GPS. Your mechanic knows that the computer under the hood can track a massive amount of information about the car's recent performance and report what it thinks is wrong. We may approach a point where you could download a car manufacturer app, run diagnostics yourself, and be told which items you need to pick up to fix it if you can do the work yourself. Or it may tell you when you need to go to the mechanic while giving you a list of the closest mechanics qualified to work on the vehicle.