Toyota to integrate AI into cars by 2020
The newly created Toyota Research Institute (TRI) is investing $1 billion to develop artificial intelligence that can anticipate and avoid accidents, with the technology to be integrated into its cars by 2020. The announcement comes in the wake of similar plans from rivals Honda, Ford and Volkswagen amid a scramble to develop autonomous-driving vehicles.

TOKYO: Toyota Motor Corp is targeting developing in the next five years driver assistance systems that integrate artificial intelligence (AI) to improve vehicle safety, the head of its advanced research division said on Monday. HT Image

Gill Pratt, CEO of recently set up Toyota Research Institute (TRI) said it aims to improve car safety by enabling vehicles to anticipate and avoid potential accident situations.

Toyota has said the institute will spend $1 billion (Rs 6,750 crore) over the next five years, as competition to develop self-driving cars intensifies.

Earlier this month, home rival Honda Motor said it was setting up a new research body that would focus on artificial intelligence, joining other global automakers which are investing in robotics research, including Ford and Volkswagen AG.

“Some of the things that are in car safety, which is a near-term priority, I’m very confident that we will have some advances come out during the next five years,” Pratt said.

While currently driver assistance systems largely use image sensors to avoid obstacles including vehicles and pedestrians within the car’s lane, Pratt said TRI was looking at AI solutions to enable “the car to be evasive beyond the one lane”.

“The intelligence of the car would figure out a plan for evasive action ... Essentially (it would) be like a guardian angel, pushing on the accelerators, pushing on the steering wheel, pushing on the brake in parallel with you.”

Japanese automakers are also grappling with a rapidly greying society, which puts future demand for private vehicle ownership at risk. Pratt said he saw the possibility that Toyota may one day become a maker of robots to help the elderly.

Pratt declined to comment on a media report earlier this month that Toyota is in talks with Google’s parent company Alphabet to acquire Boston Dynamics and Schafts, both of which are robotics divisions of the technology company.