Agile*Product*AI

I was fortunate enough to spend the weekend driving the Rivian R1T. What an amazing vehicle. Very proud to work with the teams that are making science fiction a reality with AI and technology that makes the driving experience more entertaining, productive and fun! https://www.linkedin.com/posts/scumniotales_alexa-rivian-ambientcomputing-activity-6914229345762906113-zEjL?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

Driven by advances in electrification, autonomy, connectivity, and new ownership models the automotive industry is in the midst of a disruptive transformation. The status quo will not survive . Traditional models that are costly and inflexible lack the speed and agility required to meet expectations customers have for vehicle capabilities and experiences, and partners (brands and suppliers) have for ease of integration and customization. A Software Defined Vehicle (SDV) never stops delighting its occupants. Its future-proof architecture is continuously improved during development, production, delivery, and ownership.  Electric vehicle companies like Tesla, Rivian, Lucid, Fisker and others have embraced this since their inception. They are tech companies that build cars. We are seeing the innovators dilemma play out at scale in realtime and it will be interesting to see which traditional automakers have the fortitude to make the transition and which will cease to exist.

We are just starting on the journey to create software defined vehicles. Think of it as a smarter smart phone on wheels! A good article from voicebot.ai summarizing the latest release with Ford. A few exceprts follow with a link to the full article. The idea behind Car Control is the Teachable AI for cars Alexa feature added at the end of 2021 that lets users decide what phrases will activate Alexa tasks, much like the alternative phrase triggers for Alexa Routines. Different comments can be tied to a chosen action. The training comes from telling Alexa something that isn’t a direct order. Saying, “Alexa, I’m cold,” will prompt the voice assistant to ask if they should turn off the air conditioner or turn up the heat. Or, a driver could say “Alexa, my windshield is foggy,” to trigger the defroster.  The voice commands can still be direct, like asking Alexa to set the temperature to beach weather, having taught the voice assistant that beach weather means 78 degrees, or similar. “We...

I've seen some recent posts in the user groups about eliminating the distinction between developers and testers on teams. One word – Hogwash (that’s the polite version). The best developers I've worked with create beautifully engineered and usually bug-resistant code. They do this with passion and will commit every ounce of their soul to the purpose. Now, if they're a bit more enlightened, they'll like the idea of unit testing and build out a [j|n]unit test suite for their component. Often, here the passion dissipates, and testing isn't quite as complete as you'd like it to be. I've yet to truly experience test-first, but I am sure it’s out there somewhere. Now testers are a different beast entirely. They are devious. They will take this piece of artwork, conspire with others, and meticulously commence punish it in every way conceivable. They will do this over and over again with a fervor that it at times frightening. They can't be stopped in their searc...

Lamborghini's vision is to "move beyond supercars by creating new, unprecedented and exciting experiences." Our collaboration has brought our mutual customers completely new ways to interact with their vehicles that is only now possible using the latest AI and ML technologies. In addition to using voice to interact with What3Words geolocation services, occupants of the car can simply say "Hey Lambo, I am cold" while sprinting around the Nürburgring loop and the temperature will be adjusted accordingly.  From the article below. “Lamborghini is a trailblazer in being the first to implement this system,” said John Scumniotales, Alexa Automotive’s head of product. “They certainly won’t be the last. We’re excited to see how this partnership progresses.” https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/27/business/lamborghini-huracan-what3words.html