Wayve and WMG: Assuring the safe use of AI in self-driving vehicles

• Self-driving technology developer Wayve and WMG at the University of Warwick have been selected to lead Government-backed research into the safe deployment of AI software used in self-driving vehicles. 
• The DriveSafeAI project is supported by a £1.9 million grant and will influence the design of future AI assurance techniques.  
• The research will help pave the way for commercial deployment of self-driving vehicles in the UK, which could add £42 billion to the economy by 2035.

Self-driving technology developer Wayve and the WMG at the University of Warwick have been selected to develop methodologies to ensure the safe deployment of AI in self-driving vehicles.

This new project, DriveSafeAI, brings together Wayve’s expertise in developing end-to-end machine learning for self-driving with WMG’s world-leading expertise in verifying and validating the safety of self-driving technologies. The project will develop a set of safety methods, tools and datasets for self-driving vehicles and create the evidence to underpin future AI regulation and policy. Feedback on the approach will be provided by an Independent Advisory Committee.

Wayve is reimagining self-driving vehicle technology, using data and AI to create an embodied artificial intelligence with the capability to drive any electric vehicle in any city. Wayve’s unique approach, called AV2.0, can seamlessly integrate with existing fleets and infrastructure and adapt to new environments.

Demonstrating the safety of AI is a crucial step towards realising the benefits of self-driving vehicles. In order to deploy on a widespread and commercial scale, and gain access to a market projected to be worth £42bn by 2035, the trust of both the public and policymakers in AI-powered self-driving technology is essential.

DriveSafeAI is part of CCAV’s Commercialising CAM Supply Chain Competition (CCAMSC). The Commercialising CAM programme is funded by the Centre for Connected and Automated Vehicles, a joint unit between the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and the Department for Transport (DfT) and delivered in partnership with Innovate UK and Zenzic.

The £18.5m CCAMSC competition was launched in October 2022 to support the deployment of self-driving vehicles by strengthening the capabilities of the sovereign UK CAM supply chain and is part of the Government’s vision for self-driving vehicles. Connected and automated mobility 2025: realising the benefits of self-driving vehicles.

Alex Kendall, CEO and Co-founder of Wayve said: “At Wayve, we know that confidence in our technology is crucial to commercialisation and widespread adoption of self-driving vehicles. Leveraging AI, we have the chance to bring the benefits of self-driving vehicles to everyone’s door. But first, securing trust in AI is paramount.

That’s why we’ve been working closely with Government and academia to ensure the methodologies we use to evidence safety are clear and trustworthy. Today, we’re excited to announce a formal partnership with WMG, University of Warwick, global leaders in the safety of artificial intelligence and autonomous systems. DriveSafeAI will give the public and policymakers confidence in this technology, which has the potential to revolutionise transport.”

Professor Siddartha Khastgir, Head of Verification & Validation at WMG, University of Warwick, said: “AI and particularly embodied AI like self-driving vehicles is one of the biggest disruptors for society. Deploying this technology safely is essential to realising the huge opportunity it offers society.

At WMG, through DriveSafeAI, we are excited to be partnering with Wayve, a leader in self-driving vehicle technology, to help shape the safe AI landscape in the UK and globally. We truly believe the safety of this technology needs to be proven collaboratively and that future policy should have strong research foundations.”

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About Wayve
Wayve is on a mission to reimagine autonomous mobility through embodied intelligence. Founded in 2017, Wayve is made up of a global team of experts in machine learning and robotics from top organisations around the world. We were the first to deploy autonomous vehicles on public roads with end-to-end deep learning, pioneering the AI software, lean hardware, and fleet learning platform for AV2.0: a next-generation autonomous driving system that can quickly and safely adapt to new driving domains anywhere in the world.

Wayve has raised over $258M and is backed by Eclipse Ventures, D1 Capital Partners, Baillie Gifford, Moore Strategic Ventures, Balderton Capital, Virgin, and Ocado Group. The team is based in London and California, with a fleet of vehicles testing in cities across the UK. Wayve aims to be the first to deploy autonomy in 100 cities. To learn more, visit www.wayve.ai.

About WMG
WMG is an academic department at the University of Warwick and is the leading international role model for successful collaboration between academia and the public and private sectors, driving innovation in science, technology and engineering, to develop the brightest ideas and talent that will shape our future. WMG is one of the seven UK High Value Manufacturing Catapult centres, leveraging research expertise to help drive innovation in UK manufacturing. www.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/wmg

The Verification and Validation (V&V) team at WMG works to influence international standards and policies to enable a safe introduction of Automated Vehicles. As a leading academic research team, we collaborate with international and local policymakers, regulators, and industrial partners on various research projects and policy implementations across the verification and validation spectrum.