Toyota has invested $1 billion into artificial intelligence to produce its first self-driving car, surely to measure up to Google and Nissan. Over the next five years, the company hopes to not only advance its robotics research and development, but bring their own self-driving vehicle through the Toyota AI. Their investment marks one of the largest in Silicon Valley, and it will bring together basic science and commercial engineering to bring out the best of Toyota with the latest research.
The race for self-driving cars is getting more and more popular with carmakers, though Toyota is looking to focus on the basic science instead of product development for now. Artificial intelligence is finally profitable, and many companies will measure up to build labs for research and development in order to keep up. Toyota plans to bring in 200 researchers for their upcoming Toyota AI projects, reportedly from Stanford and UC-Berkley.
The Toyota AI project is widening the job force at Silicon Valley, and their center looks to focus on robotics technologies and technologies to help the elderly. It’s set to begin operations in January of 2016 and supposed to help design cars that won’t take away driving, rather make it safer and more fun. It’s a different approach than other companies, and a more appealing one for those who drive to release stress and not by obligation.
