By Johnny Sharp

“The future of the transportation industry will be driven by the synergy of data and AI.” So said Dr Lalitha Krishnamoorthy, AI and Digital Lead, Stantec, at the launch of the CIHT’s Introduction to AI in Transportation course. “Data is becoming increasingly integral to our systems due to the advanced IoT (Internet of Things) sensors embedded in almost all vehicles and infrastructure.” 

Nonetheless, there is some confusion about exactly what AI is and how it can work in the automotive world. 
“AI was defined [after] the Turing Machine came out [in 1936]... it was the ability to start teaching a machine to become intelligent… to basically think, see, reason like a human,” Dr Krishnamoorthy explained recently in a CIHT podcast. 

Indeed, it is already all around us in our world, in technology we have already begun to take for granted, whether it’s virtual assistants such as Alexa and Siri or facial recognition software in airports. And it’s in our vehicles, in the shape of adaptive cruise control or lane keeping assistance, as autonomous and semi-autonomous driving looks set to play an ever-increasing role in the future of motoring.

Now the challenge is to take the next steps. “It's a humongous task. Being able to take all of these diverse kind of data sets and be able to come up with some predictable models and insights on this end, especially if we can get to preventive maintenance,” Dr Krishnamoorthy admits.

Other prospects include the use of intelligent drones to carry out tasks such as delivering medicines. But ultimately Dr Krishnamoorthy talks of the potential to build “a multimodal transportation system where I know what's happening around me, and my vehicle knows what's happening around me”.

The talent to deliver on AI’s potential

“There's so much opportunity,” says Richard Lane, Head of Digital Transformation at Coventry University. “But there's not enough skills to leverage that. So, we need a concerted, centralised effort to improve these areas.”

In pursuit of that goal, Lane plays a leading role in the Electric Revolution Skills (ERS) Hub, an online platform bringing employers, academics and engineers together to offer clearer pathways for upskilling and attracting new talent into the industry.

The challenge is all the greater given that data analysts and engineers with AI skills are now in demand in so many areas of the economy. “There’s no industry where AI isn’t a core focus now,” says Lane. “I’m looking at how it is in the energy sector, the finance sector – and it applies to all of them.” 

This of course means that substantial investment will be required to ensure the best people aren’t lured away into sectors with deeper pockets – but also an emphasis on training up existing workforces to turn their hands to AI-related tasks. Lane’s ERS Hub is one such organisation aiming to provide that, while CIHT is also offering a range of courses for its members, starting with the Introduction to AI in Transportation course with Dr Krishnamoorthy. 

It explains machine learning algorithms such as decision trees, neural networks and support vector machines, while cutting through the hype and make it clearer to members whether AI is the right tool to suit their particular area of operation. 

“We are consuming AI every single day,” Dr Krishnamoorthy concludes in the aforementioned podcast. “Right from opening your car with your click button… so all of these things coming together has created the situation where you can run from AI, but you can't hide.”

Discover more about CIHT’s Introduction to AI in Transportation online course.

Image: lane keeping assist system in car; credit: Alamy.