AIthena

Connected and Cooperative Automated Mobility (CCAM) sparks development in trustworthy artificial intelligence

The AITHENA project (Artificial Intelligence Trustworthy Explainable and Accountable) is an ambitious endeavour that seeks to advance the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in connected, cooperative and automated mobility (CCAM) technologies.

AI is already embedded in many CCAM solutions, but these are often “black boxes” whose inputs and operations are not visible to the driver or other road users. Even worse, they can exhibit discriminatory, biased and unexpected behaviours.

This project will address a wide range of technical challenges, such as ensuring the explainability, accountability and safety of AI systems, and goes beyond the current state of the art by creating systems that are also trustworthy and socially accepted.

Research will focus on four AI use cases of particular relevance for mobility: assisting in the perception of objects, extending situational awareness and understanding, facilitating decision-making for path planning and manoeuvring, and engaging in traffic management.

With AITHENA, 17 partners from seven different European countries (led by VICOMTech) are paving the way for a future in which AI can be fully integrated into our daily mobility needs and interactions in a safe, responsible and beneficial way.

IRU's role

CCAM is one of many recent innovations that are changing the way people and goods move. Increasing the connectivity between vehicles and road infrastructure can help increase road safety, reduce vehicle emissions, and alleviate traffic congestion. In order to achieve these positive effects, IRU advocates for several long-standing policy priorities that are central to the AITHENA project.

At IRU, we embrace innovation and support the transition towards safe, secure and sustainable operations of autonomous vehicles. This process encompasses a wide variety of considerations, such as safety for drivers and other road users, data security and infrastructure readiness.

As part of the AITHENA project, IRU plays a key role in supporting communication and the dissemination of the findings. Additionally, IRU will bring a diverse range of perspectives to the project on standardisation and certification bodies, fostering multi-disciplinary feedback.

Project results

AITHENA will establish a foundation for the development of trustworthy artificial intelligence (AI) in the transport sector. This will be achieved by promoting a harmonised and human-centred approach to creating, implementing and testing AI models within the context of connected, cooperative and automated mobility. Use cases include perception, situational awareness and decision-making processes related to the vehicle as well as broader traffic management aspects.