At the Tokyo Motor Show, Toyota is giving pride of place to the Concept-i series, futuristic vehicles that rely on a device called the Agent.
This computer uses artificial intelligence to learn everything it can about the driver. It goes way past just setting the vehicle to the driver's preferences and will actually engage the driver in conversation to pass the time.
The Agent is supposed to stay with the driver through a lifetime of vehicles, coming to know more about him or her than even a human partner. It has a name, Yui (for User Interface), although that may well change. The idea is that if the driver can establish a relationship with Yui, then the driver will come to love the car and love the brand.
In the movie Blade Runner 2049, Ryan Gosling's character has a holographic partner named Joi who, while much sexier than anything Toyota is envisioning, has come to be an essential part of his loner life. Sure, it's science fiction, but suddenly, Yui isn't so fantastical any more.
The Concept-i series includes a four-passenger model, a smaller two-passenger model designed for wheelchair users and a stand-on three-wheeler that looks like a cross between a scooter and a Segway.
With advances in AI, "we're now entering an era in which we can easily do what we were not able to do in the past," Toyota Motor Corp. manager Makoto Okabe says. "The concept is more than a machine – a partner. We're changing cars back to something people can bond with and feel affection for."
The steering wheel of Toyota’s Concept-i vehicle on display at the Tokyo Motor Show on October 25, 2017.
Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images
The Agent uses two separate AI technologies. The first uses a camera and microphone to determine alertness. "By making use of deep-learning technologies, the system estimates the user's condition by reading expressions, body language and tone of voice in a complex manner," Okabe says. "The second technology estimates the driver's preferences, by extracting his or her characteristics from information on services like Facebook, Twitter and GPS."
The camera and microphone are currently capable of recognizing five different moods by watching and listening to the driver: happy, irritated, nervous, tired and neutral. They consider the driver's mood over any given period of 30 seconds, so that false readings are avoided. The driver might smile, but in a tired or even fake way, and the computer is smart enough to understand flashes of true sentiment. You might fool your partner, but you won't fool Yui.
The preferences demonstrate the driver's overall likes and dislikes, so Yui can recommend a restaurant or a more enjoyable route. It can even indulge in informed conversation about topics of interest to keep the driver alert and stimulated, such as whether the Toronto Maple Leafs of the future are any closer to winning the Stanley Cup.
Toyota is not alone in this quest for more information. Honda is working on a similar system with its NeuV concept vehicle that's called HANA (Honda Automated Network Assistant) and BMW includes a mysterious gem-shaped central computer in its Vision Next 100 concept car called the Companion.
"I think you're going to see artificial intelligence in cars and it's going to come fairly rapidly," says Stephen Beatty, vice-president of Toyota Canada Inc., who cites the advent of personal-assistance systems such as Apple's Siri, Microsoft's Cortana and Amazon's Alexa. "This is one of the spaces where consumer electronics companies and car companies are going to be moving very rapidly to compete with each other."
The Yui AI system uses deep-learning technologies to understand its driver.
TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA/AFP/Getty Images
There are more conventional concepts at the Toyota stand. The TJ Cruiser is a relatively compact and rugged, go-anywhere SUV that's designed for maximum flexibility inside and which could see production if it's given an enthusiastic reception by show-goers. The Crown concept is a replacement for the popular domestic-market sedan that's built on the same platform as the Lexus LS.
Toyota is also showing a new hydrogen-powered four-seater concept called the Fine-Comfort Ride, which maximizes its interior space to cosset its passengers for up to 1,000 kilometres before refueling.
The writer was a guest of the auto maker. Content was not subject to approval.
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