The autonomous vehicle sector holds great promise – both economic and social. Development and deployment need to reflect carefully on the risks and impacts – balancing technological capability with fundamental principles. On the road towards realising the positive potential of AV’s there are a number of obstacles to overcome, or readiness needed as conditions for success.
The autonomous vehicle sector holds great promise – both economic and social. Development and deployment need to reflect carefully on the risks and impacts – balancing technological capability with fundamental principles. On the road towards realising the positive potential of AV’s there are a number of obstacles to overcome, or readiness needed as conditions for success:
Technology – tackling the complexity of urban environments and building secure systems will take much more research and investment. Timelines to full scale deployment are not clear, but industry is signalling that it will be the medium rather than the short term. It still however remains to be a case of when not if.
Infrastructure – the megacities of the future will require out of necessity a more connected and smart approach. AV technology is both reliant on these smart cities but also an integral part of making them work. Smart cities is a long term public policy goal for many governments, but realising them remains longer term. In the interim, this lack of infrastructure will dampen the full implementation of CAV’s in the short term, but will be a natural supportive part of the ecosystem for the sector in the longer term.
Regulation – Governments are beginning to actively put in place enabling regulation allowing for a growth in test sights, which acts as a short term boost to the sector. However the patch work approach is likely to lead to conflicts, engender uncertainty and increase costs in the medium term.
Interface with ethics – Any deployment of AI comes laden with a complex bag of ethics considerations. At its most basic these should be built into the design methodology to ensure that ethics by design is at the heart of the industry. Done well, this approach is more likely to enhance and build confidence in the technology as it is deployed more widely.
Corporate governance – Ultimately businesses make their own decisions, and can work consciously towards responsible development. The task of doing so will not be easy – complex supply chains, new and more intricate technologies, shareholder pressure and the court of public opinion all play into the mix. Hardwiring principles into the fabric of the business, being clear on the company’s social purpose and establishing clear red lines will help boards to navigate this space more safely.