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Artificial Intelligence Technology Tesla

Going beyond hands-free: the future of driverless cars

By Naomi Taylor | Client Services Manager

Impero

|

The Drum Network article

This content is produced by The Drum Network, a paid-for membership club for CEOs and their agencies who want to share their expertise and grow their business.

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August 30, 2017 | 14 min read

After launching Model 3 on 29 June, Tesla has been on what can only be described as a honeymoon period with rave reviews of the new electric car. With the recent developments and subsequent support/criticism over driverless cars and the technology surrounding it, the Drum Network wanted to ask a few questions. First of all, would you get in one? And secondly, where does the future of the automotive industry lie?

Driverless

Are we ready for the driverless revolution? Drum Network members explore.

Lara Groves, lead creative, Impero

The driverless car concept is sure to prevail in a world hell-bent on cramming as much into our days, work lives and infrastructure as humanly possible. Should we be worried? The threat of hostile intervention is a genuine concern – but heck, so are accidents caused by driver error today. As our technologies evolve, so too will the dangers we face – not to mention our associations with getting behind the wheel.

Will the ‘thrill of driving’ be replaced by in-car entertainments? Will ‘taking in the scenery’ become ‘getting on with our emails’? Perhaps we’ll take nostalgic trips down memory lane by occasionally switching to ‘driver mode’, knowing the in-car tech is really doing the legwork, but relishing that old, familiar feeling – the automotive equivalent of a nicotine-free vape, for former drivers who just can't kick the habit.

Owain Powell, digital marketing manager, Tangent

Personally, I’m a firm believer in AI supporting humans, but don’t believe that we are yet in a position to rely on it and would feel very uncomfortable at getting to that stage - Skynet, Terminator and all that!

With driverless cars, I remember being blown away as a kid by a Tomorrow's World segment in the 90s, so would have expected driverless cars to have been rolled out by now. If one of the largest organisation in the world (Google) haven’t yet sussed this out, you won’t find me anywhere near one!

Moreover, I don’t like the idea of being chauffeured around as I like to be in control. I do believe though that the future of the automotive industry lies in making vehicles more intelligent with more powerful features to assist the driver, especially where safety is concerned, but not AI controlling user behaviour.

Nick Liddell, director of consulting, The Clearing

I'd want to know what the car would do in the following situation: faced with an unavoidable crash, it has to decide whether to kill a pedestrian or kill its passenger. Who does it choose to kill? If the car is programmed to prioritise the passenger, then I'll get in. If it's programmed to protect the pedestrian, then I'm walking everywhere from now on.

Brad Smith, commercial director, Sagittarius

Would I get in it? Yes. Would I be impressed? No. For me driving is the experience – I don’t really want to be driven. Based on the average vehicle trip being only around 19 minutes long according to recent research, I’d go so far to say it’s pretty pointless.

Ewen Haldane, business director, The School of Life

From many action films we are used to the hero (think Maverick in Top Gun or Han Solo in Star Wars) switching off the clunky, automatic controls so they can react on a more instinctive, organic, ‘human’ way. Unfortunately, we have a far too optimistic conception of how well our skills match up to current technology. Very soon we’ll see driverless cars in the same way as washing machines – no-one would go back to the days of hand washing clothes. The problem with early adoption is not that people won’t trust the technology itself but that they won’t feel safe with a mix of driverless and non-driverless cars on the road at the same time. For it to feel safe, certain areas will need to be designated as fully driverless for a while. Once that happens, I’ll jump in and happily watch Star Wars while I’m driven around.

Eddie May, managing director, The Playbook

Would I get into a driverless car? Yes, absolutely! When you think about it, we all trust Uber drivers to get us from A to B safely with no real idea of how competent they are, so it’s not a great leap from there to putting our faith in Google or Apple to take the wheel.

Is it the future? It seems destined to be. A lot of new cars already drive themselves to a large extent with lane assist, automatic braking and parking assist, so it’s not a big step to full-on driverless-ness. The big promise is that driverless will lead to a massive reduction in car ownership, accidents, congestion and journey times. Let’s hope so, although not sure if that’s great news for the automotive industry as a whole.

Andrea Lennon, senior vice president and managing director, Critical Mass

I wouldn’t get in a driverless car quite yet. There’s no doubt that driverless technology has the potential to transform the auto industry—an entirely new paradigm. But the barriers it faces are numerous and varied. While driverless cars still face technical constraints, successful adoption will ultimately hinge on very human factors. Trust, control, choice, price, enjoyment, and convenience will matter as much as advances in artificial intelligence. Self-driving cars will also need to prove that they can provide a good customer experience—something that’s easy, useful, dependable, solves a problem, provides us with pleasure, and entertains us. On top of that, consider how many us will either buy a car or use ground transportation services at some point in our lives. Companies developing driverless technologies will need to account for a bevvy of customer contexts—urban, rural, young, old, driving enthusiast, technology-averse—the list goes on. A paradigm only truly shifts when customers believe they are getting the best experience, at the best value, available to them. That’s no small task where robots, engines and wheels are concerned.

Mark Williams, head of search, iCrossing

Autonomous vehicles, rather than appearing suddenly, have been in the pipeline for at least 2 decades. We’ve been handing over the keys to the controls of our car slowly, starting with less important features like turning the headlights on, wiping our windscreen or locking our doors. Over the last 5 years we’re grown confident enough to let our vehicles take control of more advanced systems, they can now brake and accelerate within traffic, steer themselves within lane markers and perform emergency stops. Over the next five years we’ll likely see these automated features being chained together to allow first complete automation on a motorway. Would I get in an autonomous car? Absolutely. In fact, most of us already have, in part, with many modern cars already automating many functions previously undertaken by a human, this is just the next evolution of a project decades in the making.

Matt Franey, chief executive officer, Foxtrot Papa

I can hardly say no! At Foxtrot Papa, right now, we’re helping some of the world’s biggest automotive brands to tell their stories when it comes to what we call CASE - the Connectivity, Autonomy, Shared economy and Electrification of next-gen passenger vehicles.

Whether people like it or not, we are on an inexorable path towards driverless, connected cars. It is going to happen. Car makers are investing billions and billions to make their vehicles safer, more intelligent, more versatile extensions of our already connected lives. Some of that development, like better connectivity, is relatively easy to sell to customers whose lives already deliver always-on wi-fi and instant streaming content, for example.

Some of it is much harder: like true ‘Level 5’ autonomy, where all passengers will literally sit back and enjoy the ride. But they will. Probably before 2025. So we’ve got no more than eight years to get used to the idea!

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Fiona Spencer, senior account manager, JJ Marketing

We are gradually progressing towards fully autonomous vehicles with today’s vehicles already containing advanced technology that would have been unlikely not so long ago. Autonomous emergency braking and lane assist technology are now widely available.

With all Tesla’s now being built with the hardware required for full self-driving capability, they are predicting that true autonomy is only a couple of years away,. Meanwhile, Ocado has revealed they are beginning to trial deliveries with driverless vans and there are others; Uber and Google are advancing their driverless vehicles and investigating ride-sharing models.

The opportunities autonomous vehicles present could be life changing - would it become difficult to justify owning a vehicle that effectively is under-utilised for most of the day? In urban areas, the call for an ‘on-demand’ autonomous vehicle will become widespread, transforming public transport. Given the speed of change taking place in the automotive industry, it seems more and more likely that our roads will our resemble a scene from Blade Runner within our lifetime.

Matt Gee, head of digital transformation, Isobar UK

Yes, I would absolutely get into a driverless car manufactured by a reputable company. As with regular cars there will varying levels of quality, safety and technology which will need to be regulated and standardised. It’s an incredibly exciting time for transportation development – I see driverless cars as the first wave of multiple vehicle forms enabled by technology which will be transformative in terms of convenience, speed, comfort and flexibility.

Additionally, a number of new services connected to transportation will evolve and be integrated such as in-motion commerce and delivery and individualised communications and entertainment. The way the sector is embracing technology and AI will lead to a new golden age of transportation with environmental and human benefit. Whilst the evolution will not be flawless, it will be fundamental.

Alex Lee, digital producer, Sagittarius

As a bit of a petrol head I’m reluctant to admit it but cars are going full robot in the not too distant future. Non-robot petrols will be kept only by rich enthusiasts, much like horses are now kept for pleasure instead of hauling carts. Sad face.

But as a UI designer I’m really excited by the interfaces we’ll need to talk to our AI chauffeurs. Imagine a typical journey: after using a voice command to request a pick up from my lunch meeting I’ll step into my ride and the music and AC will automatically update to my preferences; for a video conference the windows will tint and my call will appear on the windscreen. Followed by ads, no doubt.

Major manufacturers and tech giants are chasing this radical future. The change is driven by convenience, sustainability and safety but the inspiration is coming from digital.

Stuart Lafferty, data strategy partner, Rapp

Yeah, sure I’d get in. Statistics will speak for themselves. By the time driverless cars are launched, and I’m sure they will be safer per passenger mile than planes (which are currently the gold standard of passenger safety). I’m guessing that aerophobe wouldn’t agree with me. But I think the question is missing the point. Who asked for them? What are they for?

London exceeds pollution targets regularly and when I speak to people who have just arrived by car their top complaints are “awful traffic” or “nightmare parking” neither of which are addressed by driverless cars. In my view it’s a bit like the moon landing, you get the bragging rights and undoubtedly some of the technology is trickling down in to day to day life, automatic braking, hands-free parking etc. However, if we don’t address pollution and congestion first, it just becomes another technology looking for a purpose.

Fergus Cable-Alexander, client director, JJ Marketing

Yes absolutely, I would get in a driverless car. Albeit cautiously at first. The technology is now good enough to be appearing on the higher end models from the likes of Audi and Volvo. It’s a case of slowly but surely releasing it so we get used to it. The tech for fully autonomous cars is ready, but the infrastructure and driver education lags behind. Drivers must understand they still have to pay attention, as they will need to intervene at any given moment. Imagine when cruise control first appeared? Back then, as it is now with driverless tech, it’s a case of learning to trust the tech and knowing when to intervene. Driverless tech ushers in the concept of ‘mobility’. Hailing vehicles not drivers, and using cars not owning them. As a petrolhead it pains me to admit it, but in the not too distant future we will start seeing fewer and fewer cars sitting unused on driveways, and more and more people borrowing cars when they need them, probably without drivers.

This article was originally published in The Drum Network's Auto Special. Please contact naomi.taylor@thedrum.com for more details or to receive a copy.

Artificial Intelligence Technology Tesla

Content by The Drum Network member:

Impero

Hello. We Are Impero.

The creative agency for impatient brands.

We're audaciously ambitious. We like to challenge the status quo by thinking bigger, better, and braver than the competition.

We work best with brands that want to get things done and make a real impact in the world.

Brands that have a healthy amount of impatience. And want to work with a partner who shares it.

A bit more about us...

We're an independent creative agency based in London and Buenos Aires, made up of over 35 people and growing fast.

We work with world-class brands such as Beefeater Gin, UGG, Havana Club, 7Up, Primark, AB InBev, West Midland Trains and General Mills.

Intrigued? Visit us our website, connect with us on LinkedIn, follow us on Behance and Instagram to see our latest work.

Specialties

+ Digital & brand strategy & brand comms planning+ Advertising campaign creation+ Shopper marketing and activation+ Content creation+ Digital design+ Social media strategy & management+ Influencer marketing & community management.

Headquarters

London

Founded

By Michael Scantlebury

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Tangent

From shaping the underlying strategy to refining the final design and build, we create experiences that enhance people’s lives, prioritise sustainable digital practices, and help you achieve your commercial objectives.

Our 90-strong team is truly global; with team members across the UK (with offices in Newcastle and London), Spain, South Africa, Pakistan and beyond. Our experts specialise across three core areas: Customer Experience & Design, Strategy & Consultancy and Technology & Engineering.

We’re a technology agnostic agency with a demonstrated track record of working with a diverse range of best-in-class tech and mar-tech solutions. We also hold recognised partnerships with providers such as Contentful and Umbraco, among others. Tangent's client list includes Reed, IWG, SAP and UK Power Networks for whom their work claimed Umbraco's Jury's Choice award as well as multiple nods across The Drum, BIMA and Prolific North Tech Awards in 2023.

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The Clearing

The Clearing helps clients create clear defendable territory around their brands. We've been voted the UK's number 1 brand consultancy for two consecutive years by The Drum Network, and we're proud of our award-winning clients including McLaren, Lidl, HSBC, Ascot, Breast Cancer Now, Eurostar, One Feeds Two, Tom Kerridge and Fitness First.\

We recently created Wild Cards with The School of Life, a box of 100 killer questions to help you understand your brand better, launching it with a series of panels including Google, Ocado, Ascot and McLaren. Now we've turned 25 of the questions into a book, pairing 25 questions with 25 brand leaders from the world's most interesting businesses. One chapter, one question. One point of view to help you solve your biggest business challenges, with anecdotes and anarchic strategies from brands including Google, V&A, Comic Relief, Ascot and Gap. The result is 'Wild Thinking' - a book for people curious about ways to think differently about work. It's being published in May 2019 by Kogan Page.

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Remarkable Group

Sagittarius. Ultimedia. Nemetos Tanasuk. Unify. A new group for remarkable brands and remarkable people. We are Remarkable Group.

We plan the future so you are ready for the customer of tomorrow. The Remarkable Group is an international powerhouse of integrated digital specialist consultancies that offer our clients true partnership and integration at a global scale. We are passionate and expert in digital experience and we put our customers’ customer first in order to drive value from class-leading connected experiences and relationships.

Our performance will always be measured by our legacy. So all of our brands operate with a social conscience, striving to leave the world in a better place than we found it.

We are multiple agencies across Europe, the Middle East and North America focusing on:

Digital TransformationSoftware EngineeringConnected ExperiencePerformance & Analytics

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The School of Life

The School of Life is a unique team of world leading psychologists, philosophers, artists, designers, poets, sociologists and anthropologists. We are a global organisation with a mission to help people lead more fulfilled lives.

We consult and partner with businesses, applying the best ideas from philosophy, psychology and culture.We are as comfortable discussing Socrates and Plato, as talking about Strategy and PR. Free of the jargon and prejudices of typical mba’s, we bring a highly distinctive perspective on the problems of business.

No other agency offers the breadth and depth of thinking you will find here.

We work in three main ways:

Insight & Analysis 

We analyse how your business performs in relation to the deepest aspirations and unmet needs of your customers.

Customer Experience Innovation

We develop ideas for new products, interventions & services to transform the way customers experience your offer.

External & Internal Communications

We create thought provoking content, beautiful objects and unique experiences that blur the line between art and advertising.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Gravity Global

We offer full-service marketing communications including marketing and brand strategy, research and insight, and creative and execution. We're a truly integrated, channel neutral, award-winning and proven team delivering marketing campaigns that truly transform.

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The Playbook

We are the influence agency for brands in sport, health and technology.  

We build campaigns that have a real impact on how people think and behave, using a combination of creative PR campaigns, social influencers and strategic communications.

Creative PR

We create stories, content and experiences that generate valuable earned media, harnessing the power of third party endorsement to influence brand perceptions.

Social Influencers

We identify the right social influencers and find authentic ways to get them engaging with brands, creating and sharing content that gets people talking.

Strategic Communications

We work with clients on communications strategy and stakeholder engagement, finding the right way to get their message across and influence the people who matter most.

 

About Us

Born in 2016, we specialise in sport, health and technology, working with brands, sponsors and rights-holders.

We combine the flexibility and hunger of a young agency with the scale and support that comes with being part of the Hanover Group, an international consultancy with offices in London, Brussels, Dublin and Dubai.

The Playbook.

Smart thinking that moves people.

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Critical Mass

In a complex and fast-moving world, Critical Mass designs unparalleled brand experiences that connect with people. We were established in Calgary back in 1996, and since then we’ve helped global clients like Apple, Nike, Diageo, and BMW (and hundreds more over the years) reimagine digital and do what no one else in their category can do. Today, we’re over 1,400 digitally obsessed employees in 12 offices, across Europe, Asia, and North America—with a major, full-service hub in London.

What makes us different? We truly understand every part of our clients' digital ecosystems, and we deliver success by making data, creativity, and technology more connected, more efficient, and more powerful. Of course, digital never stands still, but neither do we. We help brands seize opportunities so that their customers get a better experience and a more seamless, dynamic, and personalised experience everywhere they go.

We’re also proud to be part of Omnicom, one of the largest holding companies for global advertising, marketing, digital, and communications services firms (serving more than 5,000 clients in over 100 countries).

No matter how much digital changes, one thing will always stay the same—who we are. We’re a transparent, honest, values-driven, passionate partner with a can-do attitude that our clients notice and appreciate.

We’re Critical Mass, but our friends call us CM. Please call us CM.

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iCrossing UK

We are iCrossing. We build seamless digital experiences that influence consumers to act. With unrivaled access to Hearst’s powerful consumer insights, we uncover the data-powered drivers that matter to your audiences and use them to build impactful, creative, consumer-first experiences that provide significant business growth.

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Foxtrot Papa

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Isobar

Isobar is dentsu’s global creative agency focusing on building a differentiated offering around Strategy and Innovation, Product and Experience, Brand Design & Systems and Comms & Content.

Isobar crafts distinctive brands and innovative experiences for a connected future. We work on the intersection of brand creativity and experience design to bridge the gap between a brand promise and the experience it offers to customers, employees and communities.

Over the last three years, Isobar has won 400 awards, including 6 D&AD Pencils, 7 Cannes Lions with one Gold Lion in the Creative eCommerce category, and was named a Leader in the Gartner “Magic Quadrant for Global Marketing Agencies” for the seventh consecutive time. Isobar’s top clients include adidas, Coca-Cola, Enterprise, P&G and Philips.

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RAPP

RAPP is a global, data-driven creative community that builds direct, meaningful and high-value relationships between brands and people. At RAPP, with our unrivalled depth of expertise in first-party data, we’ve been observing and cataloguing real people’s lives for 50 years. In today’s world the balance of power has shifted, and customers are in control, which is why we put people and their preferences at the heart of the brand experience. With a talent base of more than 1,600 professionals in 18 offices, we help brands grow the value of real people by understanding what really matters and creating experiences that are right for real people, with real needs, in real time, creating marketing that matters. Our expertise in data and marketing sciences allows us to deliver our clients actionable human insight - an incredible understanding of genuine motivations, observed transactions and actual interactions. Our process reflects how real people think; we balance the left brain and the right, and we do our best work when we bring Precision and Empathy into balance. Building on our data foundation, RAPP delivers a range of capability across social, digital, customer experience and technology.

RAPP is proud to employ talented people across the US, the UK, Argentina, France, Germany, China, Singapore, Australia, Mexico, Bangkok and Dubai, and we actively foster an inclusive workplace where diversity and individual differences are valued and leveraged to achieve our vision.

RAPP is part of Omnicom Precision Marketing Group, a division of the DAS Group of Companies.

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