China comes to the era ushering driverless cars, with Baidu entering the crowded arena wherein Google Inc. is already a player. (Photo : Facebook/ Official Baidu USA )
China comes to the era ushering driverless cars, with Baidu entering the crowded arena wherein Google Inc. is already a player. The news is that, after Google Inc., who had already started developing autonomous cars in 2009, Baidu joins the fray in the same niche. Other players in the field include Tesla Motors Inc., Ford Motors Co. and General Motors Co.
In spite of the fact that stiff competition lies ahead, it is reported that Wang Jing, Senior Vice President of Baidu's autonomous cars division, is undeterred. He is considering his company as a level player in the coming era of driverless cars. He also thinks that China has the capability to not only compete with others, but also dominate in the global field.
Jing also remarked that China will be able to dominate for the reason that it has enough competence in artificial intelligence, which makes it very close to the U.S. This will provide China an opportunity to catch up with the leaders in the automobile market, since now the technology has shifted from the engine and gearbox to artificial intelligence. There are reports that Baidu's co-founder and chief executive officer Robin Li has invested heavily into deep learning, which is a sub-field of artificial intelligence.
On other news, Andrew Ng, an expert in robotics and machine learning and renowned computer scientist, has been hired by Baidu in May 2014 as a chief scientist. This will propel the company to leverage his expertise to excel in artificial intelligence technology, said Wang in an interview with a local media.
Baidu's endeavor in the field of developing autonomous cars/driverless cars will get China into the game, the Chinese President Xi Jinping thinks. It is reported that the President had made it a point to visit Baidu's stand during the global internet forum last month.
Watch the future of driverless cars video below:
