On October 28th, during the "Future Forum" awards ceremony and annual meeting, Li Kai, Chairman of the Board and CEO of Innovation Forum, delivered a keynote speech that highlighted a critical challenge in future transportation: human behavior. He emphasized that the biggest obstacle to efficient traffic flow is humanity itself, and that full autonomy will be essential to overcome this issue.
In his speech, Kai-fu Lee pointed out that removing the human element from transportation could significantly enhance safety and make traffic patterns more predictable. He argued that most accidents are caused by human error—emotions, distractions, or delayed reactions often lead to dangerous situations on the road.
To illustrate this, he referenced an experiment conducted by Google, where employees were allowed to drive their own cars back home while being instructed to stay alert for potential dangers. However, the results showed that people rarely followed the advice. Instead, they engaged in distracting activities such as watching videos, playing with their phones, or even lying down in the back seat.
This experiment revealed a key insight: humans cannot be fully trusted in driving scenarios. Lee believes that true driverless technology must be implemented without any human intervention, ruling out the idea of human-robot collaboration.
He also discussed the role of artificial intelligence in shaping the future of transportation. According to Lee, AI is one of the most transformative technologies of our time, and its application in smart mobility is expected to revolutionize the industry. The Innovation Workshop has invested in several companies working on this field, including Mobike, which uses big data to optimize bike distribution and improve urban mobility.
Lee explained that the amount of data generated in smart transportation will be over a million times greater than today’s data. This data comes from sensors, GPS, and other digital sources, enabling real-time traffic predictions and smarter city planning.
One example he gave was the use of AI in traffic light systems. By analyzing traffic patterns, AI can adjust signal timings to reduce congestion and improve emergency response times. In one test, this system increased traffic efficiency by 15% and cut ambulance response times by 50%.
Another example involved Face++’s computer vision technology, which can identify jaywalkers and automatically send tickets to their homes. Such innovations show how AI can enhance safety and compliance on the roads.
Despite these advancements, Lee acknowledged that human resistance remains a major hurdle. People are still skeptical about fully autonomous vehicles, and legal and ethical challenges persist. For instance, in the U.S., there are ongoing debates about how self-driving cars should handle moral dilemmas in accident scenarios.
However, Lee remains optimistic. He believes that with proper regulation and continued technological progress, the future of transportation will be safer, more efficient, and more sustainable. In the coming decades, smart transportation will act as a catalyst for societal change, driven by investment, innovation, and collaboration across industries.
As he concluded, the goal is not just to build better cars, but to create a smarter, more connected world where traffic flows smoothly, and human lives are protected. The journey toward full autonomy may be long, but the destination is clear: a future where humans are no longer the biggest obstacle to progress.
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