WMG at the University of Warwick has selected an industry partner to support the development of methodologies to enable artificial intelligence (AI) to be safely deployed in self-driving vehicles.
The academic department has announced that it will work with autonomous mobility tech developer Wayve, which has been shortlisted for the first-ever Robotics & Automation Awards, on the project.
The project is named DriveSafeAI, and is intended to build upon the tech company’s experience with machine-learning algorithms used for autonomous driving to develop safety methods, tools and datasets to underpin future policy and regulation for self-driving vehicles.
Feedback on the project’s work and developments will be provided by an independent advisory committee, Wayve has said.
Professor Siddartha Khastgir, head of verification & validation at WMG, University of Warwick, said: “AI and particularly embodied AI’s like self-driving vehicles is one of the biggest disruptors for society. Deploying this technology safely is essential to realising the huge opportunity they offer society.
“At WMG, through DriveSafeAI, we are excited to be partnering with Wayve, a leader in self-driving vehicle technology, to help shape the safe AI landscape in the UK and globally. We truly believe the safety of this technology needs to be proven collaboratively and that future policy should have strong research foundations.”
The project is part of the £18.5m Commercialising CAM Supply Chain Competition (CCAMSC), which is funded by the Centre for Connected and Automated Vehicles. It was launched in October 2022 to support the deployment of self-driving vehicles throughout UK supply chains.
Alex Kendall, CEO and co-founder of Wayve, said: “Leveraging AI, we have the chance to bring the benefits of self-driving vehicles to everyone’s door. But first, securing trust in AI is paramount.
“That’s why we’ve been working closely with government and academia to ensure the methodologies we use to evidence safety are clear and trustworthy.
“Today, we’re excited to announce a formal partnership with WMG, University of Warwick, global leaders in the safety of artificial intelligence and autonomous systems. DriveSafeAI will give the public and policymakers confidence in this technology, which has the potential to revolutionise transport.”
Wayve is a finalist for the first-ever Robotics & Automation Awards in the Innovation in Transportation category for its work on autonomous deliveries with Asda. Interested in attending this unmissable event for the robotics and automation sectors? Book your table now!
