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AI4CCAM interviewed the project coordinator, Arnaud Gotlieb, Chief Research Scientist / Research Professor at Simula Research Laboratory. Arnaud is also IRT SystemX Scientific and Technological Council Member, and Head of the Validation Intelligence for Autonomous Software Systems Dept. (VIAS).

In this interview, Arnaud explains more about the context and the innovation behind the AI4CCAM project, also focusing on the possible exploitation in the coming five years.

In which context (normative, social etc.) is AI4CCAM moving?

The AI4CCAM project is dedicated to the development of Trustworthy AI methods for connected automated vehicles. In that respect, the project has to deal with a double complexity axis: On the one hand, the exploitation of Artificial Intelligence in Europe is the subject of intensive discussions especially since the AI Act has been adopted by the European Parliament in June 2023 and the with rise of large language models such as GPT; On the other hand, the development of AI-based automated systems in personal cars explode with the recent commercialisation of the first level-3 system in Europe. Level-3 means that for a particular subsystem of the car, the machine takes the decisions instead of the driver. Therefore, in this context, it is crucial to strengthen the research in the development of responsible and robust AI for automated vehicles and that’s exactly the objective of the AI4CCAM project.

What’s the innovation behind the project?

The project innovates in different directions: First, intensive research are conducted to develop scenarios which involve ethical issues with vulnerable road users such as pedestrians or cyclists. Second, scene understanding from sensors embedded in the car is crucial to improve the transparency of automated decisions as well as gaze analysis when it comes to anticipate actions of the pedestrians. The project is conducting research on scene understanding using qualitative reasoning, which is a very hot topic and on pedestrian behaviour analysis by using virtual reality and neuroscience which shall lead to an interesting demonstrator. Third, on the side of responsible AI, the project is conducting social science studies related to user acceptance of automated vehicle in urban conditions. This shall lead to a better understanding on how automated cars can be inserted in the city and can interact with all the road users. Finally, the research results obtained in the project will be confronted in three use cases which involve realistic simulations. I can’t wait to discover how these research results will improve the trustworthiness of AI-based systems embedded into automated cars.

In 5 five years from now, how do you see the results of the AI4CCAM project being exploited?

We are building a comprehensive body of research results which will be communicated and disseminated in the CCAM ecosystem, dedicated to European citizens. In that respect, the project has a huge responsibility and ambition. As I see it, in 5 years from now, the project will have paved the way for the adoption of AI in automated vehicles in a responsible and EU-compliant way. AI is a formidable opportunity for automated driving, provided that it is developed in a way that respect humans by all means. That’s what AI4CCAM is all about…