AI experts took a ride in a Ferrari recently and decided they didn’t want to push for self-driving Prancing Horses.
Certain things in life are perfect together – such as cheese and wine. Some things, however, are not meant to be used together – such as autonomous driving and Ferrari. This is a valuable lesson that artificial intelligence specialists should learn before approaching Maranello-based automaker to get ideas for how to make a Ferrari drive. This was the lesson that a group of AI specialists learned recently.
Ferrari hosted two AI experts who tried to convince Ferrari’s executives that autonomous driving should be embraced by the supercar maker. Benedetto Vigna, the CEO of Ferrari, was not interested in the idea and instead decided to take them on a ride in a Ferrari car at the Fiorano track. This track is owned by the company and used for testing and development purposes. The discussion ended, and you can guess what?
“The AI guys rode with our test driver,” said the CEO to reporters in Maranello this week, during a press conference that focused on the brand’s electrification strategy. “When they got out of a Ferrari, they said to me, “OK Benedetto,” our presentation was useless.”
However, this doesn’t mean Ferrari won’t use assist systems in its cars. Maranello plans to continue developing driver-supporting technology, but not reach Level 5 autonomous driving. According to classification by the Society of Automotive Engineers, advanced self-driving systems allow the driver to be a passenger but never have full control of the vehicle. Level 5 cars will not have steering wheels, accelerator or brake pedals. Vigna doesn’t want that in a Ferrari car.
Vigna stated that no customer will spend money on a car’s computer to enjoy the driving experience. “The man is the most important thing, the human at its center.”
Last year, John Elkann, Chairman of Stellantis, also stated to Elon Musk during a conversation that Ferrari will not be among the brands ever to offer fully autonomous tech. We can only say, “Thank you,” gentlemen.