It has been known for a while now that internally Apple has been working on its own self-driving car, it received a permit to test self-driving on California’s roads in April for example. In an interview with Bloomberg, Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO confirmed that they’re at least working on software for a driverless car.
Speaking to Bloomberg, Cook said:
“We’re focusing on autonomous systems. It’s a core technology that we view as very important. We sort of see it as the mother of all AI projects. It’s probably one of the most difficult AI projects actually to work on.”
The latest confirmation means that Apple is indeed working on the software for a self-driving car, but it doesn"t suggest Apple plans to make its own cars, it could take a similar avenue as Google by just providing the software for car manufacturers. In September last year, Apple decided to lay off some of its employees from its self-driving car program, Project Titan.
Apple is keen to keep up in the self-driving car field because most of its rivals too are delving into the technology, the developments they’ll make in artificial intelligence is also a key reason Apple will want to pursue the technology.
Cook also noted that there is a major disruption coming in the near future surrounding cars based around three pillars that are currently developing; they include self-driving cars, electrification of cars, and ride-sharing.
Source: The Verge