17 Ever since Glen A. Larson created a smart car called Kitt, the world has dreamed of the day when a vehicle could be called to collect and park itself. A self driving intelligent machine that would communicate verbally with us while protecting us on the road. Finally, the future of cloud based Smart Cars is around the next bend. I predict that, because of artificial intelligence and its ability to automate certain tasks that in the past were impossible to automate, not only will we have a much wealthier civilization, but the quality of work will go up very significantly and a higher fraction of people will have callings and careers relative to today, Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon.com A NEW RELATIONSHIP While automobiles become more software integrated and cloud compatible, the applications embedded in the core of your vehicle will allow for more advanced and ongoing updates. This evolution means that all cars will need to be cloud connected and allow daily communication between your car and manufacturer entailing: Cars with life long support though real time diagnostics and recommended solutions. Your break down assistance will have immediate access to the root cause of the car trouble before the mechanic gets the call out with immediate foreknowledge of requirements. Pre-schedule maintenance alerts and behaviour recognition means usual driving behaviour can be monitored for theft or dangerous driving. General performance enhancements based on regular habits, current location, weather and even local speed laws and regulations. Probably two years from now we’ll make a car with no steering wheels or pedals Elon Musk, CEO Tesla SELF DRIVING In the near future, we’ll be driving smart cars that constantly adapt to the moment and situation. Cars will be linked to other devices to improve performance, safety and security. Modern smart car developers have formulated a code to reference the levels of automation required. Level 1 automation some small steering or acceleration tasks are performed by the car without human intervention, including breaking. Level 2 automation like advanced cruise control or mild autopilot system on vehicles, the car can automatically take safety actions but the driver needs to stay alert at the wheel. Level 3 automation still requires a human driver, but the human is able to put some “safety-critical functions” to the vehicle, under certain traffic or environmental conditions. Level 4 automation is a car that can drive itself almost all the time without any human input. This is a car you could sleep in. Level 5 automation means full automation in all conditions without human controls. It’s not artificial intelligence I’m worried about, it’s human stupidity. Neil Jacobstein, chair of the AI and Robotics track at Singularity University UNSEEN LIMITATIONS The bigger question concerning the evolution of how drivers will interact with their automobile may be an issue for insurance companies and the manufacturers’ responsibility vis à vis the public. How will accountability be managed when your car is on auto-pilot. Who handles the insurance and legal claims in case of major accidents and future road fatalities. While the idea of the self driving car is coming closer to being a reality, the current lack of clarity is still far from being resolved. In 2018, two accidents involving a Tesla Model S and a Chevrolet Bolt when both were using General Motors’ Cruise Automation technology. The vehicles were reportedly using their respective autonomous driving systems. When it comes to typical vehicular accidents, determining which party is at fault is already challenging. That challenge only grows when vehicles running on autonomous systems are introduced.
