Ford is using AI to equip its BlueCruise semi-autonomous adaptive driving system.
The 2023 Mustang Mach-E utilizes the latest version of the technology to allow drivers to give up control of the vehicle, according to a report.
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Similar to GM’s Super Cruise technology, the BlueCruise system lets drivers remove their feet from the pedals and hands from the wheel as the vehicle does the rest within a highway lane.
Drivers will be monitored via facial recognition software to make sure they maintain sight of the road and are ready to retain control under emergency situations.
If drivers do not appear aware, the technology will have the vehicle come to a controlled stop, turn on its hazard lights, and BlueCruise will disengage, the report noted.
When that happens, a report is sent to Ford via cellular or WiFi, Ford’s Executive Director for Advanced Driver Assist System Technologies Sammy Omari said.
“Every time a customer has a disconnect out of hands-free to hands-on, we do collect that little bit of data, and we automatically analyze the data,” Omari said.
“We want to know how our customers are using our product, where does the product sometimes fail. It’s not perfect.”
BlueCruise 1.2 software is the latest system Ford has placed in the 2023 Mustang Mach-E, and AI has been crucial in improving the technology, according to the report.
Data from drivers, who have opted in to share their information, has played a key part in this, Omari said
“A fairly large number of customers do decide that they want to share data with us,” he said.
“We are very surgical about what we’re allowed to collect and not just about how we collect it, but how we handle that data internally.”
Information collected includes radar records and video clips, but it is scrubbed to blur out personal information, according to the report.
“We’re not really interested in anything, any data that could lead us to what customers used the car, like, for example, things like the vehicle identification number,” Omari said.
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While AI is critical in their software’s development, human engineers provide all the final touches to the system, according to Omari.
“Machine learning engineers are a very rare commodity and a very expensive commodity,” he said. “For them to operate at scale, at Ford scale, we really want them to focus on small bits and pieces where they can add value that we can’t automate.”
