"After electromobility, the next, clearly more radical change is the transition to more intelligent and, ultimately, autonomous vehicles," says Markus Duesmann, CEO of
Both the technological maturity of the driving systems and the social dimension are very important for autonomous driving to gain broad acceptance: apart from the general legal and political conditions, people's attitudes are critical for new technologies like autonomous driving to catch on. Nineteen scientific, policy, and economic experts discussed central issues concerning the future of autonomous driving; the results have now been published by the &Audi Initiative in the roughly 70-page "SocAIty" study.An image of the future in 2030: The mobility landscape is becoming more diverse, compartmentalized, and inclusive
The study addresses three focal points: the chapter "Law and progress" deals with, among other things, current questions about liability, while "Relationships of trust between human and machine" looks at the ethical dimension of autonomous driving, and "Networked security" addresses the relevant data protection and security aspects.
"All in all, the result is an image of a mobility landscape that will look different in 2030 from what it looks like today, but will manage without science fiction," says
One central insight of the study is that the mobility landscape in 2030 will be more diverse and compartmentalized and will produce more mobility solutions that are suited to their goals. Additionally, diversity of forms of micromobility will increase, particularly in cities. Demand will also increasingly be determined by the person's location. Similar needs increasingly prevail in large cities: places like
In 2030, mobility will be heavily characterized by a new kind of mixed traffic, in which autonomous vehicles will encounter vehicles driven by people. Road users will gradually adapt and will have to learn new rules. The prognosis: for this significant cultural shift, people will need time to establish a good trusting relationship with autonomous driving. "Only the increase we expect to see in comfort, safety and availability will sufficiently justify acceptance and confidence in the new technology", says expert
Apart from the potential for more efficient and therefore also more ecologically sustainable traffic, networked and data-driven mobility concepts can also have an enormous social impact. That includes new services that are oriented to human needs and, ideally, lead to a new form of more inclusive and more social mobility. "It is also about better access to mobility. Because mobility is the key in getting access to jobs, medical care, to clean food and so forth", adds expert
"Who do we prioritize avoiding? If this is how we keep setting the agenda, we're not going to get very far", points out Christoph Lütge, Director of the
For that reason, the experts agree that the next important step consists of clearly defining ethical foundations based on realistic situations and taking up actual challenges and questions that companies and legislators have to contend with.About the &Audi Initiative
Audi created the &Audi Initiative in 2015. The auto manufacturer wants to use the Initiative to stimulate interdisciplinary exchange about new technologies like artificial intelligence and autonomous driving. Additionally, it is intended to support positive acceptance of new technologies over the long term and establish appropriate expectations regarding the possibilities and limits in society. With the current "SocAIty" study, the &Audi Initiative's objective was to contribute to public debate around autonomous driving and its responsible application in the mobility of the future.
You'll find more information about the "SocAIty" study here.
The complete study and additional content can be found at audi.com.
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