---
title: "Aptiv Wants to Use AI Software to Read Vehicle Occupants’ Moods"
description: "Aptiv has partnered with AI software firm Affectiva to develop sensors that can detect vehicle occupants' emotional states."
date: "2019-01-03"
modified: "2019-01-03"
authors:
  - name: "Stephen Edelstein"
    job_title: "Weekend Editor"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/stephen-edelstein.md"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/tech/25767/aptiv-wants-to-use-ai-software-to-read-vehicle-occupants-moods"
categories:
  - "Car Tech"
  - "News"
  - "Self-Driving Tech"
tags:
  - "AI"
  - "Aptiv"
  - "Artificial Intelligence"
  - "Autonomous Cars"
  - "self-driving cars"
  - "Tech"
---

# Aptiv Wants to Use AI Software to Read Vehicle Occupants’ Moods

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*​*Self-driving cars use an array of sensors to "see" the world around them, but those sensors may also soon point inward. [Automotive tech firm Aptiv](<https://www.thedrive.com/tech/25525/self-driving-car-tech-startup-aptiv-debuts-command-center-in-las-vegas.md>) has entered into a partnership with [Affectiva](<https://www.affectiva.com>), a developer of artificial-intelligence (AI) software, to develop sensing systems for monitoring vehicle occupants.

Aptiv, which made a minority investment in Affectiva as part of the deal, wants future self-driving cars to be able to track passengers' emotional and cognitive states. A "multi-modal interior sensing solution" will be based around Affectiva's software, which uses real-world data to identify people's moods, an Aptiv press release said. Aptiv, which is [partnering with Lyft](<https://www.thedrive.com/tech/23046/lyft-and-aptiv-surpass-5000-self-driving-car-rides.md>) on autonomous-driving tech, views this as a natural extension of sensor suites that monitor conditions around the car.

"Just as perception and detection of objects outside the vehicle are critical enablers of autonomous driving, there is an increasing need for intelligent sensing inside the cabin," Aptiv CEO Kevin Clark said in a statement.

Other companies are thinking along the same lines. At the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show, Kia will demonstrate technology designed to [identify vehicle occupants' emotions](<https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1120570_kia-concept-for-2019-ces-previews-a-world-with-self-driving-cars>). Kia's experimental system, called READ (short for Real-time Emotion Adaptive Driving) was developed in concert with the MIT Media Lab, which Affectiva was spun out of.

Israeli tech company [Vayyar Imaging](<https://vayyar.com>) claims it can use sensors to do things like monitor passengers' breathing, and keep track of how many people are in a car. Vayyar uses a radar-based sensor to do this, but Affectiva's tech reads non-verbal cues like facial expression, body language, and tone of voice. That means it will likely require onboard cameras to record video and audio of passengers.

Monitoring of passengers may become common once cars begin driving themselves. Without human drivers onboard, cars will need some mechanism for detecting medical emergencies or other issues. Companies may also use the tech to gather data on how customers react to riding in their vehicles, or to the media content and advertising that will likely get piped [into cars' dashboard screens](<https://www.thedrive.com/tech/16550/intel-and-warner-bros-want-to-beam-advertisements-into-future-self-driving-cars.md>). Cars that spy on their passengers may just be part of the autonomous-driving bargain.

## Author
Stephen has always been passionate about cars, and managed to turn that passion into a career as a freelance automotive journalist. When he's not handling weekend coverage for The Drive, you can find him looking for a new book to read.

### Author social links  
[Twitter](<https://twitter.com/SAEdelstein>)

## More

- [Self-Driving-Car Tech Startup Aptiv Debuts Command Center in Las Vegas](<https://www.thedrive.com/tech/25525/self-driving-car-tech-startup-aptiv-debuts-command-center-in-las-vegas.md>)
- [Toyota Will Test Self-Driving Cars With AI By 2020](<https://www.thedrive.com/tech/15166/toyota-will-test-self-driving-cars-with-ai-by-2020.md>)
- [Lyft and Aptiv Surpass 5,000 Self-Driving Car Rides](<https://www.thedrive.com/tech/23046/lyft-and-aptiv-surpass-5000-self-driving-car-rides.md>)
- [Lyft and Aptiv Self-Driving Car Partnership Will Extend Beyond CES](<https://www.thedrive.com/tech/17769/lyft-and-aptiv-self-driving-car-partnership-will-extend-beyond-ces.md>)
- [Lyft and Aptiv Deploy 30 Self-Driving Cars for Las Vegas Public Trial](<https://www.thedrive.com/tech/20684/lyft-and-aptiv-deploy-30-self-driving-cars-for-las-vegas-public-trial.md>)
- [Self-Driving Car Startup Drive.ai May Be Looking for Buyer: Report](<https://www.thedrive.com/tech/26766/self-driving-car-startup-drive-ai-may-be-looking-for-buyer-report.md>)
- [Cortica Will Apply ‘Unsupervised Learning’ AI Tech to Help Self-Driving Cars Get Smarter](<https://www.thedrive.com/tech/12423/cortica-will-apply-unsupervised-learning-ai-tech-to-help-self-driving-cars-get-smarter.md>)
- [Apple Is Making Progress on Self-Driving Car Tech, AI Boss Says](<https://www.thedrive.com/tech/16852/apple-is-making-progress-on-self-driving-car-tech-ai-boss-says.md>)