What does future of self-drive technology have in store? Check out this study

Autonomous driving is being touted as the next big thing that follows the electrification of vehicles and various automakers are gearing up to create and innovate autonomous driving technology that will provide utmost security and comfort. A new study by an Audi initiative called SocAIty has been conducted that explores various parameters of self-driving technology and also examines its overall impact on society. Leading experts from Europe, the US, and Asia shared their perspectives on autonomous driving that shapes the future of mobility.

Chief Executive Officer of Audi - Markus Duesmann, shared that after electromobility, the next big and more intelligent change that the automotive world will undergo is an autonomous vehicle. “For us, autonomous driving is a key technology that can make traffic safer and mobility more comfortable and inclusive," he added. The luxury automaker conveyed that with Volkswagen software company CARIAD support, Audi will be driving the introduction of that technology forward in the second half of this decade.

Apart from addressing various concerns related to autonomous driving, the study takes into account the laws and their progress when it comes to self-driving technology. It also highlights the importance of trust between a machine and human that will help people to accept and adopt autonomous driving along with stressing on providing a secured network that will hold relevant data. The project manager for the the Audi initiative at Audi AG - Saskia Lexen, stated that the mobility landscape of 2030 will be very different from what it is today. “So Audi wants to establish appropriate expectations for the possibilities and limits of technology in society and to create trust," she added.

Another possibly important insight of the study that the automaker shared is that the picture of mobility in 2030 will be more diverse and compartmentalised. There will be more mobility solutions that will suit users’ goals. There will also be significant diversity in the form of micro-mobility specifically in cities. This self-driving technology is also being seen as one innovation that will help to reduce the number of accidents on roads. Hence accommodating the stakeholders, the experts agreed that the next important step should be clearly defined based on realistic situations and taking up actual challenges.

As a technology, autonomous driving has to reach a level of maturity that will lead to a broader acceptance of it in society as people, by nature, are skeptical as well as critical towards new technologies or innovation.