Transportation in the Age of Artificial Intelligence and Predictive Analytics

A Volpe Thought Leadership Series

Data analytics, automation, artificial intelligence, and machine learning are impacting the global transportation system at full tilt. Mobility is being transformed. As the transportation enterprise becomes more data-driven and automated, there is the potential to realize greater safety and efficiency benefits for the public good.

As we prepare for the future, there are many things to consider. How we move goods and people in the future will fundamentally change. Where do humans fit in? Will people be active operators, passive passengers, or somewhere in between? How will new technologies affect workers in the transportation sector? This new speaker series from the U.S. DOT’s Volpe Center will explore the age of artificial intelligence and predictive analytics in the context of the global transportation system.

Transportation in the Age of Artificial Intelligence and Predictive Analytics kicked off June 4, 2018, with Derek Kan, U.S. DOT Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy.

Under Secretary Kan serves as a principal advisor to Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao. He provides leadership in developing policies for U.S. DOT, generating proposals and providing advice regarding legislative and regulatory initiatives across all modes of transportation. The Under Secretary coordinates the Department’s budget development and policy development functions. He also directs transportation policy development and works to ensure that the nation’s transportation resources function as an integrated national system.

Event News and Video

Delivering the Benefits of Self-Driving Technology Safely, Quickly, and Broadly

October 25, 2018

Chis Urmson
Founder and CEO, Aurora

Chris Urmson, founder and CEO of Aurora, spoke about the benefits of implementing self-driving technology, including thousands of saved lives and improved mobility for people with disabilities.

Read the news story, Delivering the Benefits of Self-Driving Technology Safely, Quickly, and Broadly, and view the video highlights and the full conversation.

Transformational Technologies: A State Government Perspective with Kirk Steudle

October 22, 2018

Kirk T. Steudle
Director of the Michigan Department of Transportation

Michigan Department of Transportation Director Kirk T. Steudle discussed how road operations agencies need to embrace technologies that can improve safety while still serving legacy vehicles.

Read the news story, Transformational Technologies: A State Government Perspective, and view the video highlights.

A Conversation on Artificial Intelligence in Transportation with Kyle Vogt and U.S. DOT Under Secretary Derek Kan

October 4, 2018

Kyle Vogt
Founder and CEO, Cruise Automation, Inc.

U.S. DOT Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy Derek Kan
Under Secretary Kan provides leadership in developing policies for U.S. DOT, generating proposals and providing advice regarding legislative and regulatory initiatives across all modes of transportation.

Kyle Vogt and Under Secretary Kan discussed how artificial intelligence is changing transportation.

Read the news story, A Conversation on Artificial Intelligence in Transportation, and view the video highlights and the full conversation.

The Four Roles of Government in a New Mobility Operating System

September 25, 2018

Stephen Goldsmith
Director of the Innovations in American Government Program, Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government

Stephen Goldsmith, the Daniel Paul Professor of the Practice of Government and director of the Innovations in American Government Program at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, discussed a new mobility operating system requiring government, especially at the city-level, to design transportation around the user—not the mode.

Read the news story, The Four Roles of Government in a New Mobility Operating System, and view video highlights.

Forecasting Freight Transportation Rates

August 13, 2018

Chris Caplice
Executive Director, MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics

Chris Caplice, PhD, discussed the possibility of using artificial intelligence to forecast the complex markets for freight transportation rates.

Read the news story, Forecasting Freight Transportation Rates, with MIT’s Chris Caplice, and watch the video highlights and full remarks.

Analytics and Artificial Intelligence in a Federal Framework that Encourages Transportation Innovation

June 4, 2018

Derek Kan
U.S. DOT Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy

Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy Derek Kan, discussed the “growing torrent” of technology advances that are poised to fundamentally change transportation.