This Startup Is Using Deep Learning to Make Self-Driving Cars More Like Humans

The first intelligent robots that humans interact with on a regular basis will likely be self-driving cars--not a humanoid working in the cubicle next door. Drive.ai, an autonomous vehicle tech startup founded by former graduate students working in Stanford University's Artificial Intelligence Lab, officially came out of stealth mode--a temporary quiet period to avoid alerting competitors--on Tuesday with some details about what it's building and a high-profile addition to its board. Steve Girsky, who sat on the General Motors board for seven years until June, has joined the Drive.ai The Mountain View-based startup, which has raised 12 million from an undisclosed venture capital firm and strategic investors, was forced out of stealth in April when it was awarded a license to test autonomous vehicles in California. But until now, little was known about what Drive.ai was working on. The startup is focused on developing deep learning software--a sophisticated form of artificial intelligence--and applying it to everything the self-driving car does from recognizing objects to making decisions.