Sony Group and Honda Motor are collaborating to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into the development of autonomous driving features for their joint electric vehicle (EV) venture, Honda Mobility. Their luxury EV brand, Afeela, will debut in Japan and the U.S. by 2026, featuring AI-driven autonomous capabilities.
The AI in these vehicles will continuously improve self-driving functionality through software updates, potentially once or twice a year. The initial AI systems are expected to support Level 3 autonomy, allowing for autonomous driving on highways and under specific conditions. This level of autonomy means the car can handle driving tasks while still requiring human intervention in certain scenarios.
Current autonomous systems rely on a combination of sensors and cameras to detect obstacles, with software manually coded to handle recognition and judgment. However, with AI integration, the system will evolve faster, learning from driving data and reducing reliance on costly sensors, thus potentially lowering production costs.
This AI-driven approach reflects broader trends in the automotive industry, where companies like Tesla and BYD are also pushing AI-powered self-driving technologies. Tesla started using AI in its systems last year, and BYD is expected to launch a similar system in partnership with Huawei by the end of 2024.
