Mentions of artificial intelligence within the filings of companies in the automotive industry were 141% increase between July 2020 and June 2021 than in 2016, according to the latest analysis of data from GlobalData. When companies in the automotive industry publish annual and quarterly reports, ESG reports and other filings, GlobalData analyses the text and identifies individual sentences that relate to disruptive forces facing companies in the coming years. Artificial intelligence is one of these topics - companies that excel and invest in these areas are thought to be better prepared for the future business landscape and better equipped to survive unforeseen challenges. To assess whether artificial intelligence is featuring more in the summaries and strategies of companies in the automotive industry, two measures were calculated. Firstly, we looked at the percentage of companies which have mentioned artificial intelligence at least once in filings during the past twelve months - this was 86% compared to 57% in 2016.

The color-changing capabilities of chameleons have long bewildered willing observers. The philosopher Aristotle himself was long mystified by these adaptive creatures. But while humans can't yet camouflage much beyond a green outfit to match grass, inanimate objects are another story. A team from MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) has brought us closer to this chameleon reality, by way of a new system that uses reprogrammable ink to let objects change colors when exposed to ultraviolet (UV) and visible light sources. Dubbed "PhotoChromeleon," the system uses a mix of photochromic dyes that can be sprayed or painted onto the surface of any object to change its color -- a fully reversible process that can be repeated infinitely.

Ford is expanding its line-up of electric vehicles, starting with its beloved F-Series pickup trucks. At the Deutsche Bank Global Auto Industry Conference, company execs revealed a plan for an all-electric version of the F-150 – which was initially pegged to be hybridized by 2020. Now, it appears Ford will be churning out two new models, though the firm has not revealed any additional details as of yet. At the Deutsche Bank Global Auto Industry Conference, company execs revealed a plan for an all-electric version of the F-150 – which was initially pegged to be hybridized by 2020. The announcement follows the news that Volkswagen and Ford are forming a global alliance to develop commercial vans and medium-sized pickups together while exploring broader cooperation on future battery-powered and autonomous vehicles and services.

Ford Motor Co, Walmart Inc and delivery service Postmates Inc will collaborate to design a service for delivering groceries and other goods to Walmart customers that could someday use autonomous vehicles, the companies said on Wednesday. The project is the latest to grow out of Ford s broader effort to develop businesses that could use automated delivery vehicles. Ford was working with San Francisco-based Postmates already to develop delivery services that could employ automated vehicles. The Walmart pilot, which will take place in the Miami area, initially will use human-driven vehicles operated to simulate how a self-driving vehicle would behave, Ford said. Ford Motor Co, Walmart Inc and delivery service Postmates Inc will collaborate to design a service for delivering groceries and other goods to Walmart customers that could someday use autonomous vehicles, the companies said on Wednesday.

China has made known its desire to become an AI powerhouse. Russia's Vladimir Putin last year equated AI dominance with ruling the world. On Thursday, the White House, a little late to the great game, hosted a meeting involving representatives from about 40 companies, including Facebook Inc. and Google Inc. as well as Ford Motor Co. and Walmart Inc., to discuss how the U.S. could maintain its lead in AI. The gathering followed a template for meetings of this type: Support was offered, 'atta-boys' were distributed. Still, the meeting acknowledged that AI, increasingly, has become tied to something larger.

FILE - In this April 12, 2017 file photo, Ford Motor Co. President and CEO Mark Fields speaks during a media preview of the 2018 Lincoln Navigator at the New York International Auto Show in New York. Ford is replacing its CEO amid questions about its current performance and future strategy, a person familiar with the situation has said. Fields will be replaced by Jim Hackett, who joined Ford's board in 2013. FILE - In this April 12, 2017 file photo, Ford Motor Co. President and CEO Mark Fields speaks during a media preview of the 2018 Lincoln Navigator at the New York International Auto Show in New York. Ford is replacing its CEO amid questions about its current performance and future strategy, a person familiar with the situation has said.

Ford will fire CEO Mark Fields and replace him with self-driving car chief Jim Hackett, according to the New York Times. The news comes amid turmoil in the company, including a steep 25 percent drop in car sales so far this year and layoffs of 1,400 salaried employees and possibly many more to come. The announcement is expected sometime later today. It's not just the drop in sales, market share, earnings and the stock price (down 40 percent since Fields took the reins) that has Ford investors alarmed. The company is also lagging behind rivals in the pace of tech development areas now considered crucial for automakers.

Ford Motor Co. has bought a majority share in a small artificial intelligence start-up that will help the automaker get driverless vehicles on the road, Ford Chief Executive Mark Fields announced Friday. Argo AI, based in Pittsburgh, will provide the "brains" for virtual driving systems. Argo becomes a Ford subsidiary and will work intimately with Ford engineers to integrate driverless software with sensors and other hardware systems that will be built into Ford vehicles, Fields said. Ford will invest $1 billion in Argo over the next five years. For now the company will focus exclusively on Ford, but in the future the company could license its driverless technology, Fields said.

CHICAGO – Honda Motor Co. said Wednesday it is talking to Waymo, the autonomous driving unit of Google parent Alphabet Inc., to try to strike a deal that would put its self-driving technology into some of the Japanese automaker's cars. Both companies stressed that at this point the talks are about research, rather than full-production vehicles. If all goes well, Honda may provide Waymo with vehicles that are modified to run the self-driving system, and those cars would join the existing Waymo fleet currently being tested in four U.S. cities. Discussions with Honda underscore that Waymo wants to develop the brains behind self-driving vehicle technology rather than build the cars that use it. The talks also show that Waymo, the new name of Google's self-driving car project, is eager to work with more car companies as it races to rack up test miles with its autonomous-drive systems and prepare it for commercialization. "For companies like Apple and Google, it makes more sense to supply the technology than to get into the car business, which is capital intensive and highly regulated," said Michelle Krebs, an analyst at Cox Automotive's Autotrader.com.

Until recently, there was no question about who's responsible for an automobile's operation: the driver. When driverless cars without a steering wheel or brake pedal start hitting the highway, your only role will be ordering the car where to go. Between now and then -- about five years by automakers' estimates -- the relationship between drivers and their cars will enter uncharted territory. Robot-like features will take over an increasing share of the driving duties -- but not all of them. It's by no means clear how well people will adapt during this transitional phase, when human and robots will share the wheel.