They rumble down the highway between Beijing and Tianjin port: big lorries, loaded up and fully able to navigate themselves. Sure, there is a safety driver in the seat, as per government regulations, but these lorries don't require them, and many analysts say it won't take long before they are gone. When "safety driver" Huo Kangtian, 32, first takes his hands off the wheel, and lets the lorry drive itself, it is somehow impressive and disconcerting in equal measures. For the initial stages of the journey, he is in full control. Then - at a certain point - he hits a few buttons, and the powerful, heavy machine is driving itself, moving at speed along a public road to Tianjin.

AI or Artificial Intelligence is one of the biggest technological inventions that have already impacted many businesses. The technology is continually transforming the way businesses work and deal with their customers. It would be no wonder to see AI in the list of the factors that contribute to economic growth in the future. Even the popular Irish domiciled company, Accenture, analyzed 12 developed economies and came to a result that AI can double their economic growth in the next decade. The rapid advancement AI is bringing to various fields is one of the reasons that AI startups are getting huge funding from big industries.

Tremendous strides by innovators have resulted in some fascinating and intriguing enhancements to the transportation industry. In fact, in many ways, it feels like the future of the transportation industry is already here. These developments will cause transportation companies to rethink job descriptions and figure out when humans should be at the helm or when they should defer to smart machines for safety, cost savings and capabilities. Even though we haven't quite hit widescale adoption of some of these technologies, many have been tested and prototyped and large-scale adoption seems imminent. Here's an overview of some of the major developments that are changing the transportation industry.