What are the key considerations for ethical automotive AI10 Apr 2023 20:00
As in-vehicle safety features and user experience (UX) systems evolve, the incorporation of artificial intelligence (AI) raises some important ethical considerations.
For instance, the industry has seen the rise of driver monitoring systems (DMS) to augment safety features and address emerging regulatory requirements, such as the need to understand and detect signs of driver impairment like distraction and drowsiness. Human insight AI is required to understand the driver’s nuanced emotions and complex cognitive states and catch signs of potentially dangerous behaviour. Furthermore, when infotainment systems advance more and are ready to use AI, automakers will increasingly look for interior sensing solutions that understand both the driver’s state, and that of the occupants and cabin—the key to unlocking new opportunities for entertainment and wellness.
It is at this point when safety and UX systems become centred on understanding human behaviour that new ethical questions arise. These systems rely on potentially personal data in how they’re developed and deployed in cars. As a result, automotive tech companies are forced to take a hard look at the implications of the technology they provide.
Understanding the risks and reward
As mentioned, in-vehicle technology is advancing rapidly, using human insight AI that analyses human behaviours in vehicles. This need first became apparent with DMS systems, which analyse drivers’ facial movements, eye gaze, blink rate, head and body position, and more to understand signs of drowsiness, distraction and other human states. But there is an increasing OEM interest in interior sensing and cabin monitoring, which also use human insight AI. In these cases, AI-powered interior sensing systems can recognise activities and objects used by drivers and passengers (think, a cell phone) and interactions between occupants and in-vehicle systems. This provides further data for safety analyses, but it also can unlock insights into the in-cabin experience that allow for personalisation, such as content, music or atmospheric adjustments.
When paired with advanced AI systems, camera-based sensing is proving to be an effective and accurate way to detect these complex and nuanced human behaviours. However, these systems will inherently “know” a lot about the people that interact with them, and must be developed using potentially personal, real-world data.
To put it plainly: the reward here is the potential to save thousands of lives each year with improved safety systems, and to significantly enhance the in-cabin experience. But the risk is in putting consumers’ private data at risk, and losing trust between the automotive industry and the public. Luckily, there are deliberate steps the industry and auto tech makers can take to mitigate these risks and ensure industry advancement, for the betterment of all.
https://www.automotiveworld.com/articles/what-are-the-key-considerations-for-ethical-automotive-ai/
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