Credit: YouTube
The race is on among automobile manufacturers to develop the world’s first secure and safe line of self-driving vehicles. One carmaker ambitious to develop a new line of autonomous vehicles is Toyota. Reportedly, the company already has plans to tests its new driverless — and talking — cars by 2020.
Toyota promises that by 2020, its vehicle tests will be different from government-regulated trials runs, as its cars will be powered by artificial intelligence (AI). Reportedly, Toyota is combining its Concept-i cars with an AI called “Yui” — a merging that reportedly cost billions of dollars.
Yui isn’t a typical autonomous driving system. Toyota wants its AI system to be able to converse with drivers and “get to know them better by using their preferences, emotions, and habits,” reports Futurism. This is actually a bit concerning, as tech geniuses such as Elon Musk have warned that mankind’s dependence on AI is likely to be the “cause of WWIII.” (Read more below)
Credit: Toyota
Said Makoto Okabe, general manager of Toyota’s EV business planning division: “By using AI technology, we want to expand and enhance the driving experience, making cars an object of affection again.”
When 2020 rolls around, Yui won’t be the only notable development unveiled by Toyota. According to Reuters, the Japanese car manufacturer has partnered with Cartivator Resource Management to debut a flying car at the Olympic games. Toyota is also test-driving its hydrogen-powered trucks later this October.
Elon Musk on Artificial Intelligence
Credit: Activist Post
While this latest news from Toyota is neat, there are reasons to be wary of artificial intelligence (AI), according to Elon Musk. The founder of PayPal and SpaceX first warned about AI in response to President Vladimir Putin’s declaration that the first global leader in AI would “become the ruler of the world.”
Musk responded in a tweet: “China, Russia, soon all countries w strong computer science. Competition for AI superiority at national level most likely cause of WW3 imo (in my opinion).”
China, Russia, soon all countries w strong computer science. Competition for AI superiority at national level most likely cause of WW3 imo.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 4, 2017
Later, in a response to one Twitter user, Musk mentioned that there is a possibility that war could be automated one day. He wrote, “May be initiated not by the country leaders, but one of the AI’s if it decides that a prepemtive (sic) strike is the most probable path to victory.”
May be initiated not by the country leaders, but one of the AI’s, if it decides that a prepemptive strike is most probable path to victory
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 4, 2017
Recently, the Chief of Tesla co-signed a letter with other leaders in robotics, including Google Deep Mind’s Mustafa Suleyman. The letter urged the United Nations to ban killer robots and made headlines worldwide. Though it is unlikely the business magnate’s urging will slow the development of AI technology, at the very least, his insistence is educating the public of possible concerns, hopefully, before it is too late.
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