“Moving forward, transparency will play an important role in building trust in the AI systems that will slowly find their way into our cars—if we choose to trust it at all. El Kaliouby stresses that automakers and mobility services providers must be clear about in-cabin sensing technology and educate consumers on what the technology does, what data it collects, and how it stores and uses the data.”

“Another area of the in-vehicle experience where AI is pushing developments is in-cabin monitoring. Applications such as distraction detection are already in place in some segments, and could be critical for automakers should they wish to introduce advanced driver assistance systems which will still rely on driver attentiveness. But some companies see far greater potential than this, and AI is the key. Affectiva is one such player. Older than most start-ups, the company was founded in 2009 and has raised some US$60.3m in funding to date, with notable investors including Aptiv. Affectiva considers itself a pioneer in emotion AI, which can interpret user emotion via a number of means including vision processing of facial expressions, or audio processing of voice.”

“Advances in facial recognition technology mean machines can not only recognize different people, but also how they are feeling. This means the next generation of automobiles may contain features that scan drivers’ faces for fatigue or other signs of impairment. Companies, including Boston-based Affectiva, are already making software to help the auto industry integrate such technology.”

“As auto manufacturers race to build self-driving vehicles of the future, the company is betting that its technology could play a role in shaping this new world of transportation…In the future, if all goes as planned, emotion AI in cars could help calm us down, wake us up and get us mentally ready for the day’s commute or a big night out. Affectiva, which already has contracts with auto-makers and suppliers, hopes to have its technology embedded in cars on the road by 2021.”

“…with the camera pointed at the safety driver, Renovo can then tell whether that person is tired or distracted, and deliver the right prompts or warnings to ensure attention remains on the road ahead. And that’s where Renovo and Affectiva’s collaboration perhaps could have prevented the fatal Uber collision last month.”

"The future of transportation is AI whether computers do the driving or not. We desperately need to change the way we approach the manufacture and operation of motor vehicles. Over one million people die every year in vehicle collisions. With Automotive AI, it’s possible the roads could become a little safer thanks to Affectiva and other companies working on changing things for the better."