Toyota car gives driver an artificial intelligence buddy

Toyota introduced a futuristic concept car Wednesday with built-in artificial intelligence that not only can get drivers where they're going, but shows up as a little ball of light that can talk back to them and know their moods.

The car, called Concept-i, made its debut at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and it comes with a little AI robot-like companion named "Yui."

Yui (pronounced you-EE) greets the driver, showing up as a circle of light about the size of a ping pong ball when they open the door. Then, Yui shows up on the dashboard.

Yui keep tabs on the driver. By measuring the heart rate, knowing the time of day or where the car is going, it might inquire whether a driver is hungry or whether they are happy.

The vehicle is sparking interest because it marries two high-tech developments in cars.

One is self-driving capability, which is a technology that has attracted every major automaker at this point. Automakers are racing to try to develop such systems by 2020.

The other is robots. The idea of giving a name, voice and personality to the AI component of the car is a little bit like the talking Pontiac Trans Am in the original Knight Rider series from the 1980s. That car also had a name, KITT.

"Thanks to Concept-i and the power of artificial intelligence, we think the future is a vehicle that can engage with people in return,” said Bob Carter, senior vice president of automotive operations for Toyota.

The system uses light, sound and touch to communicate with the driver.

So, for instance, there are colored lights in the footwells to tell the driver whether the car is in manual of self-driving mode. Images appear on the seat pillar to warn the driver about blind spots.

The AI system in the Concept-i car interacts with the driver in a "relationship that is meaningful and human," Toyota says. The car measures emotion based on where a driver is traveling in the world, Toyota says. The car also monitors driver attention and road conditions, ready to step in with automated driving or take over if conditions become dangerous.