AI Articles and Analysis in Transportation

Danny Lange heads up the AI efforts at Unity, one of the better-known firms in terms of simulations and computer graphics. They work in several different industries, but this week we speak mostly about automotive.

In this article, we explore the applications of AI software within the automotive industry from production and manufacturing to insurance and transportation. We will discuss the equipment involved in collecting and analyzing data along with the potential value they offer to manufacturers, shared mobility companies, insurers, and drivers.

Although AI has broader applications in the travel and tourism industry, facial recognition kiosks at airports have been one of the most prominent applications in the public discussion about AI. Their promise: to increase security and potentially speed up passenger boarding.

In the past decade the number of people killed by natural disasters each year has ranged from as low as 14,389 in 2015 to as high as 314,503 in 2010, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Every year over 100,000,000 people are also affected by natural disasters. Government, companies, and aid organizations are all working to keep these tragic deaths as low as possible. One tool they have turned to for help in recent years is search and rescue robots.

Boeing offers a number of autonomous vehicles to the military, which it claims can help military operators effectively complete both routine and critical missions with less risk of endangering the lives of military operators. In 2017, Boeing Defense, the predominantly non-commercial division of Boeing that focuses on government contracts, reported 29.5 Billion dollars in revenue. This makes it the second largest defense contractor for the US military and the world. Boeing, established in 1916,  is a publicly traded company that employs over 120,000 people.

According to Accenture, approximately 66% of A&D executives polled indicated they are looking at investing in AI for 2019, particularly on security, production, and R&D. 80% believe that AI-based decisions will have a direct impact on the workforce by 2021.

Statista estimated that the market for partially autonomous cars will be at $36 billion by 2025, and the market for fully autonomous cars will be at $6 billion. We researched the automotive space to discover how and where AI might be driving business value for companies in the auto industry. The companies in this report all claim to offer one of two sectors of the industry:

Deloitte estimated the size of the global travel and tourism industry at around $1.6 trillion in 2017. When adding in the indirect and induced economic contributions of related activities, the travel and tourism industry accounts for 10.4% of the world’s gross domestic product (GDP).