Artificial intelligence and self-driving cars are often complementary topics in technology. Though AI is being implemented at rapid speed in a variety of sectors, the way it’s being used in the automotive industry is a hot topic.
Artificial Intelligence in the Automotive Industry
With every car manufacturer and its parent company racing to develop artificial intelligence and self-driving technologies, there are also a slew of tech companies and startups with the same purpose.
Though many believe personal, autonomous vehicles are the future, there are multiple ways in which AI and machine learning are being implemented in how vehicles are built and how they operate on the road. AI in cars aims to improve vehicle safety, increase fuel efficiency and provide drivers with enhanced connectivity features.
Check out how these companies are using artificial intelligence in cars.
AI for Autonomous Vehicles
Many major auto manufacturers are working to create their own autonomous cars and driving features. Whether their technology is for use in public transportation, ride-sharing or personal needs, the following companies are at the forefront of autonomous vehicle technology.
Magna International is a mobility tech company and auto supplier bringing AI to its manufacturing and autonomous driving systems. The company has equipped its vehicles with thermal sensors that use convolutional neural networks to detect pedestrians using their body heat. On the manufacturing side, Magna International has teamed up with Sanctuary AI to integrate general-purpose AI-powered robots into its facilities — in addition to already using AI in areas like decision-making and predictive maintenance.
A joint effort between Aptiv and Hyundai, Motional designs autonomous driving technology that utilizes three sensor types — LiDAR, radar and cameras — to prioritize safety at all times, leading to the world’s first robotaxi pilot and an operational commercial robotaxi service that has provided over 130,000 self-driven rides with a record of zero at-fault incidents.
Beginning as Google’s exploration of self-driving vehicles, Waymo is now its own company creating driverless vehicles. With the progress made in large language models, the company has built a more complex architecture called the Waymo Foundation Model. This promises to give Waymo’s driving technology more advanced planning features, among other abilities. In 2024, Waymo completed 4 million driverless trips and is set to begin testing in Tokyo.
While some companies are outfitting existing vehicles with self-driving capabilities, Zoox is creating its own robotic rideshare vehicles from scratch. Each vehicle is guided by a suite of sensors, radar and a computing system that enables fast decision-making. To emphasize safety, Zoox’s vehicles can sense objects over 150 meters away in any direction and ‘see’ around corners. Testing is underway in San Francisco.
AutoX makes retail-based autonomous vehicles that combine AI software, sensors, real-time cameras and thousands of test miles, both virtual and real, to ensure safe decisions on the road. AutoX has been deploying its robotaxi services in China and also received a permit to launch a robotaxi pilot program in California. More recently, AutoX secured Shanghai’s first fully unmanned passenger transport permit in its bid to offer airport shuttle services.
AI for Auto Manufacturing
With more than 93 million cars produced globally in 2023, it’s no wonder manufacturers are seeking out machinery and ways to enhance production. Here are a few examples of how smart machinery and AI-powered systems are making automotive production lines more efficient.
General Motors designs, manufactures and sells consumer cars and trucks. It has brought AI into its production lines, where predictive analytics assess performance history and detect potential issues, and into its vehicles, where AI algorithms provide intelligent route planning to reduce “range anxiety” in EV drivers, and conversational AI powers OnStar virtual assistance. To make vehicles safer, GM uses AI to run software tests as well.
CCC enables the automotive and insurance industries to make better decisions through AI, IoT and workflow solutions. The company connects auto manufacturers to a data pipeline that unlocks actionable insights from insurers and repair facilities while also connecting them to a network of more than 29,500 repair facilities nationwide, facilitating visibility into how to make vehicles safer and more durable.
Rockwell Automation equips its manufacturing robots with AI to assist the car production process. These robots can fully assemble cars, apply paint and install intricate parts. The company also offers AI-powered solutions for manufacturing tires and producing electric vehicles. Rockwell Automation has plans to further upgrade its robots’ AI-driven capabilities through its partnership with NVIDIA.
ABB offers a host of robotic AI products across many industries, but its manufacturing robots are an interesting example of AI in cars. The company’s cobots work alongside humans to inspect vehicle parts, paint and more. The cobots use AI technology to sense the presence of people and objects and learn when to stop moving. In addition, ABB is launching a generative AI tool to help businesses across various industries convert data into useful insights.
BMW Group is a German auto manufacturer known for its luxury vehicles. Behind the scenes, the company has integrated AI into its production line, allowing vehicles to share real-time data and updates with employees. Workers can then monitor vehicles’ status and catch any errors during the assembly stage. In the past, BMW Group has teamed up with Monolith, adopting the AI platform to speed up its vehicle development process.
AI for Driver Assistance
There are many different types of AI-powered advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) like automatic braking, driver drowsiness detection and lane departure warning. Some systems are even used by companies to re-train commercial drivers and avoid collisions. Here’s how a few companies are using artificial intelligence in cars for driver-assisted technologies to make the roads safer.
Motive builds hardware and software products that businesses use to manage their vehicle fleets. The company’s solutions include AI-powered features meant to help customers improve productivity and safety. For example, Motive’s AI Dashcam is designed to cut down on accidents by identifying unsafe driving behaviors like following another vehicle too closely and offering drivers real-time alerts.
SapientX produces white-label software that adds conversational voice and intelligence capabilities to tech products, including automotive assistants for car companies like Volvo, Visteon and Mitsubishi Marelli. The company has been working to implement natural conversational AI within vehicles, utilizing speech recognition, natural language processing, speech synthesis and smart avatars to boost comprehension of context, emotion, complex sentences and user preferences.
CarVi makes an ADAS that uses AI to provide driving analysis and real-time alerts to warn drivers of possible dangers like lane departure, forward collisions and driving conditions. It also uses a scoring system to rate driving skills and help drivers alter bad habits. CarVi can be installed in existing vehicles and help fleet companies track their vehicles, receive reports on vehicle performance, collect dashcam footage of events and cut insurance premiums with overall safer drivers.
Nauto’s intelligent driver system reduces distracted driving and the potential for collisions by assessing driver behavior. The system uses data to keep drivers attentive enough to avoid accidents and traffic violations. With video and facial recognition, Nauto even helps companies process claims with insurance carriers more efficiently.
Tesla produces electric cars equipped with Autopilot, the company’s ADAS that enables automatic steering, accelerating, braking, lane changing and parking. Tesla says its technology is “intended for use with a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to take over at any moment.”
AI for Autonomous Delivery
Takeout and grocery delivery services have been growing in popularity, with the online food delivery services industry projected to reach a market volume of more than $1.9 trillion by 2029. AI is bound to play a role in this growth, enabling self-driving vehicles to fulfill delivery orders. Here are three examples of autonomous delivery services making use of AI in cars.
Refraction AI manufactures a robotic, self-driving delivery solution for last-mile goods from places like restaurants, pharmacies and grocery stores. The company’s flagship vehicle REV-1 operates in all weather conditions and can switch between car and bike lanes to prioritize delivery time without impeding traffic. Along with powerful AI that allows REV-1 to choose the best possible delivery route, low-cost sensor technology allows the vehicle to stop on a dime — leading to a safe, compact and scalable autonomous delivery solution.
Starship Technologies builds self-driving delivery robots that move at pedestrian speeds as they use AI and GPS technology to navigate around obstacles, carrying packages, groceries and meals to customers who placed orders via the Starship app. Weighing less than 100 pounds, the company’s autonomous delivery robots have a cargo bay that remains locked until a customer uses the app to unlock the compartment and retrieve their order. In 2023, the company partnered with a Finnish retail operator to test autonomous express deliveries.
Kiwibot is developing a robotic last-mile food delivery network, featuring a fleet of more than 400 AI-powered, all-electric robots that have been deployed on 27 campuses throughout the United States. Users can place restaurant orders through an app and track their robotic delivery in real-time. Customers can also request Kiwibots tailored to specific use cases like transporting cargo in warehouses or serving as mobile advertising billboards.
Other Uses of AI in the Auto Industry
Cox Enterprises is the parent company for Cox Automotive, which operates a variety of brands focused on developing innovative solutions to support automotive retail. Manheim uses AI software called M LOGIC, which allows dealerships to set appropriate prices for transactions, maximize profits and connect car buyers to the ideal inventory. Meanwhile, vAuto offers a tool called Stockwave to help dealerships build up their used car inventory.
Toyota is collaborating with Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) to build infrastructure and an AI mobility platform. The platform will capture data and feed it into driver-assistance systems, so autonomous vehicles can more easily perform actions like merging onto highways. This builds on the two companies’ previous initiative involving 5G-connected car technology and brings them a step closer to realizing their vision of a smart city.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is AI used in cars?
AI is applied in cars in several ways, including sensors that help autonomous vehicles navigate their surroundings, driver-assistance systems that activate under certain scenarios and robots that use AI to quickly assemble cars.
What is the future of AI in vehicles?
AI will continue to support autonomous driving, gathering data through sensors, cameras and 360-degree systems that allows vehicles to identify objects and anticipate dangers ahead of time. In addition, AI can send real-time updates to autonomous, internet-connected cars, so they can more safely interact with other autonomous vehicles and objects on the road.
Which cars use AI?
BMW Group, General Motors and Tesla are a few companies integrating AI-based features into their vehicle development processes and the actual cars themselves. Meanwhile, Waymo, Zoox and Motional are a few companies working on fully autonomous vehicles.
