Toyota Envisions Next-Generation Cars As AI-Enabled Best Friends

Toyota U.S. Senior Vice President Bob Carter shows off the company's Concept-i prototype at CES 2017 in Las Vegas. As auto and tech companies race to perfect automated driving, Toyota is equally fixated on how the relationship between driver and vehicle will evolve as advances in artificial intelligence give rise to motorized robots with personalities. An initial version of the automotive giant's vision for the next generation of mobility is the Concept-i, a small hatchback packed to the rafters with advanced technology and most importantly an onboard virtual assistant dubbed Yui designed to curate the experience for occupants. Given the rapid pace of high-tech changes coming to the auto market, it's essential to keep the connection between car and driver in mind when planning new products, Bob Carter, senior vice president of Toyota's U.S unit, said at a press conference at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Wednesday. "It's really easy to lose sight of why we build cars: We make them for people," Carter said.