Learner drivers in Abu Dhabi will soon but put through their paces behind the wheel by artificially intelligent instructors.
Yas Driving Academy is the first motoring school in Abu Dhabi to use adaptive AI technology to support pupils through the learning process.
A system has been designed for a modified Avatr 12 electric car, with an Avatar instructor delivering tips and advice from a 15-inch touchscreen.
For now, the technology is only to be used on a segment of the curriculum when learners control the vehicle on their own for the first time inside a designated zone, without a human instructor present.
Humans will remain part of the process, but that could change as the technology develops.
How does it work?
“We have implemented a system in order to replace the human instructor,” Omar Mallat, head of technology at Yas Driving Academy, told The National.
“You will sit in the car, have your application ready via your QR code and the car system will identify you. It will notify the driver which exercise they have to complete.
“It can read the driver's face, their behaviour, as well as their reactions when driving.”
The automated system will learn a pupil's driving style and correct mistakes when they occur. It will also offer routine prompts for seat belts, checking blind spots and mirrors when pulling away.
For example, if a driver enters a roundabout from the wrong lane, a prompt will ask the driver to repeat the manoeuvre correctly.
Driver assistance
New drivers will continue to start lessons with a human instructor who will guide them through the initial process within the curriculum.
Once the driver has reached a certain level of competence, the AI instructor takes over within the designated zone at the academy.
Mr Mallat said the advantages are a faster response to errors, and more comprehensive correction.
“Eventually, the AI instructor will take a big portion of training because it can provide more accurate data in order to understand a driver’s specific weaknesses,” he said.
“It will adapt lessons based on behaviour at the wheel, and react differently based on capability and skills. AI knows the behaviour of every student.
“With a human instructor, they have procedures to follow, but with AI it keeps adapting with the students as they learn. This technology should improve the quality of driving on the road.”
Driving lessons supported by AI is the latest step in an agreement between the Department of Municipalities and Transport’s Integrated Transport Centre (ITC), and Yas Driving Academy to provide training and testing services.
AI has already been used elsewhere in the country to speed up testing services. In Ras Al Khaimah, the police smart testing village has cut test waiting times by up to 80 per cent with AI.
Meanwhile in Dubai, the Roads and Transport Authority uses AI to identify weaknesses in learner drivers through extensive data analysis in its Tadreeb programme.
Technology could also be used to speed up tests elsewhere.
In the UK, a backlog has seen a six-month waiting list for new drivers to be tested, and is not expected to clear until 2027, according to the Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency.
