Audi wants autonomous cars to run errands while you're at work

Audi laid out its plans for autonomous vehicles and how it intends to use AI to us back in July, and now the automaker is ready to show off what it's been working on. At this year's IAA auto show in Frankfurt, Audi debuted the AIcon and ElAIne (above and below), a pair of cars capable of Level 4 autonomy (conditional, but fully automated driving) that it claims are empathetic to their drivers' needs. "They will be able to continually interact with their surroundings and passengers, and thus adapt themselves in a better way than ever before to the requirements of those on board," Audi wrote in a lengthy press release. The idea is that, through machine learning, the platform will be able to anticipate what you want before you ask. The example Audi gives is one of its cars suggesting a service (think: Indian take-out or maybe a spa day) and booking it for the driver like a personal assistant might.