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Driverless Car Has IBM’s Watson As Its Copilot

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Olli Autonomous Car

Autonomous driving is the hot topic in the automotive world, with drivers and governments alike discussing how this technology can be harnessed to make our roadways safer than ever. Skeptics are concerned that since computers are certainly not human, the vehicles might not react correctly in certain situations and crash. One company has an idea that will be hard to fight: Equip the vehicle with IBM’s Watson artificial intelligence.

If you haven’t met Watson yet, he is a highly intelligent computer that uses the Internet of Things concept that every electronic item should be connected to the internet to make our lives easier. For example, a kettle that can talk to your alarm clock could know when exactly you stop hitting ‘snooze’ and get out of bed to start boiling water for a hot cup of tea. Watson is smart enough to take on the greatest human minds, and it famously beat Jeopardy champions at their own game, and is now working in healthcare fields to help doctors and nurses decide on a diagnosis and treatment options.  In other words, the AI is much more intelligent than your standard Siri or Cortana.

The vehicle itself will be able to seat up to 12 passengers, and they can interact with Watson to make the drive more comfortable. They will tell Watson where to go, and can discuss the route, and then the AI will give all directions to the car, named Olli. Not only will Watson be on hand for practical discussions about the road, but also for questions about the car and other topics that can be couched in normal conversation, instead of the awkward yell-speak we’re used to with smartphones.

The Olli vehicles are being tested in Washington, D.C. and are expected to turn up in Las Vegas and Miami later this year.

News Source: Mashable and Forbes