The term ‘artificial intelligence’ is one that carries a lot of negative and sometimes scary connotations with it.

In many ways, this is thanks to movies and popular entertainment that has drawn up visions of a future where artificial intelligence becomes so advanced that robots will take over the world. Think of popular movie franchises like The Terminator and you’ll see why many people are both fascinated but terrified of artificial intelligence at the same time.

While it remains to be seen what the future of artificial intelligence will entail, its advocates are focusing more on its utilities, and how artificial intelligence could help us as human beings improve the quality of our lives and reduce the challenges that we face on a daily basis.

But firstly, let’s all get on the same page by asking the question: “What is artificial intelligence (AI)?”. To put it in the simplest of terms, artificial intelligence is the area of computer science that focuses on making machines and computers that are able to think the way human beings would, only with much more efficiency and effectiveness. This means having the ability to gather and process information and then engage in decision-making much faster than a regular human being or animal ever could.

It’s applications are endless and span across multiple industries, including the automotive industry as well! Artificial intelligence can already be seen being rolled out in the form of self-driving cars,

How Artificial Intelligence Will Affect Your Driving

Driver’s Co-Pilot

It is undeniable that artificial intelligence will be applied towards self-driving cars, but for those who like to get behind the wheel themselves, AI can also be used to act like a co-pilot. Imagine having someone sitting in the passenger seat advising you on the best routes to take to get to your destination, warning you of changes to your driving conditions, and even keeping an eye on you to make sure that you’re not falling asleep behind the wheel.

With cameras and other sensors in the car, the vehicle’s AI could do all of this instantaneously and help you have a much more efficient, safer, and enjoyable drive overall.

Maintenance

With its ability to process large volumes of data and make recommendations, AI in cars could also help in predicting when a car will need to be sent for maintenance. This goes beyond just the regular maintenance suggestions based on mileage or months since the last workshop visit. Imagine if car itself was able to tell you when a certain part was starting to wear out or the engine oil was in need of a change; this is the kind of usefulness that AI is promising for the near future.

Targeted Marketing

Marketing and advertising are a huge parts of our connected world, whether we like it or not. In the past and even in some contexts today, we are inundated with marketing for products and services that are sometimes completely irrelevant to us.

With artificial intelligence in the automotive context, the data collected about drivers such as their driving habits and routes often taken could all be computed and used to only promote products and services relevant to the person. With the predictive maintenance point mentioned in the previous section, a car that is in need of a specific spare part for example could be shown the nearest promotions for the driver to obtain said spare part. Or, a car driving down certain routes could potentially be shown the most accessible petrol stations along that road and highlight any promotional campaigns that individual stations may be running.

Automated Insurance

As a matter of personal opinion, one of the best applications of AI for drivers is in the field of insurance. The way insurance generally works is that a driver is charged a fee based on the risk of them getting into an accident. Part of this decision involves the accident history of the driver, and sometimes even the nature of their work and the type of security features they have in their cars.

With artificial intelligence and its ability to process a lot more data than ever before, drivers can be charged a much fairer rate tailor-made specifically for them. A safe driver who sticks to the speed limit and poses less risk of a collision could, in theory, be charged a lot less than a driver who is slightly more reckless and is prone to speeding.

Endless Applications

So while it is reasonable to be apprehensive about new technologies that become increasingly integrated with our daily lives, it is also important to educate ourselves on the benefits that they offer. In the case of artificial intelligence, specifically in the context of cars, it is clear that it offers a lot of value to drivers and the automotive industry as a whole. The most important thing to do when faced with new technologies is to educate ourselves, be it through research or through first-hand experience.