[THE VIEW] Apple Car Chooses to Coexist with AI Instead of Fully Driverless Operation

To Achieve Full Autonomous Driving
Technological and Legal Challenges Must Be Addressed
Will This Setback Lead to Greater Progress?

Apple, which aimed to overturn the autonomous vehicle market by launching the Apple Car, a more advanced driverless car than Tesla, has taken a step back for now. According to Bloomberg, Apple initially targeted the release of a fully autonomous Apple Car without a driver by 2026, but has revised its goal to launch a more realistic autonomous vehicle where the driver and autonomous driving AI coexist. The release date has also been pushed back two years to 2028. Instead of commercializing fully driverless vehicles, Apple plans to release an autonomous vehicle slightly more advanced than current manual driving, where the driver controls the car from the driver's seat while AI supports functions like braking and acceleration.

Apple's recent strategic shift reflects the complexity and challenges of the autonomous vehicle market. Commercializing fully autonomous vehicles requires dedicated control system designs, including processors. A comprehensive AI-based decision system capable of making appropriate judgments in real-world situations based on extensive road driving experience and data is essential for safe operation.

Fully autonomous vehicles involve not only technical issues but also legal challenges. Both the United States and South Korea currently do not fully permit the operation of fully autonomous vehicles. Some regions in the U.S. allow pilot operations of commercial fully autonomous vehicles or restrict their operation to designated routes and controlled environments.

How can Apple overcome these technical and institutional challenges? First, developing and stabilizing related technologies is essential to ensure safe and accurate operation of autonomous vehicles. Specifically, collecting data that reflects reality through numerous pilot runs is necessary, along with continuous system updates to improve vehicle response times and enhance accurate decision-making capabilities in various scenarios. The AI-based system must also be improved through simulations to enable safe judgments in crisis situations or in response to accidents.

Alongside technological maturity, institutional development must also accompany progress. As a manufacturer, Apple needs to work closely with governments and regulatory agencies to negotiate operational regulations and establish practical and realistic safety standards suitable for autonomous driving. In particular, negotiations and discussions with relevant agencies regarding liability in the event of accidents will be necessary. Under the current Motor Vehicle Liability Insurance Act, damages from autonomous vehicle accidents can primarily be claimed from the driver. In cases where the driver and autonomous driving AI coexist, the current law, which prioritizes driver responsibility, can be applied without difficulty.

However, for fully autonomous vehicles, significant revisions to most regulations will likely be unavoidable. To clarify liability among insurers, drivers, and manufacturers, the establishment of adjudicating bodies and securing experts will be necessary, and active input and participation from manufacturers like Apple will be required in this process. It remains to be seen whether Apple can take two steps forward after this initial step back through continuous technological development and institutional improvements.

Kyung Na Kyung, Professor, Department of Computer Science, National University of Singapore

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.