Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the way we work, the way we stay informed, the way we interact with others. It is also set to transform the way we move around in cities. In the air, electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles – eVTOLs – (or air taxis) are already being tested, promising to take passengers from one end to a city to another at record speeds, while relieving traffic. On the ground, self-driving cars have been making the news for several years now, holding up the hope of safer, greener journeys in major cities around the world. This transport revolution also raises several challenges: How can we guarantee passengers’ safety? What new liability issues arise from the widespread use of autonomous vehicles? Will these new modes of transportation really help cut down pollution and green-house gases? Will they improve urban transport and the quality of our lives? To help us navigate these questions, we are honored to welcome to Vis A Vis two experts who are mobilizing AI in support of the transport revolution.
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Claudia D’Ambrosio is research director at the French National Center for Research (CNRS) and adjunct professor at École Polytechnique, France. She has expertise in mathematical optimization, with a particular focus on exact and heuristic methods applied to different real-world problems related to energy efficiency and transportation. She has a strong interest in industrial applications in general, and collaborated with Uber, Réseau de Transport d’Électricité, Electricité de France, just to mention a few.
Xuan (Sharon) Di is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at Columbia University, and co-chairs the Smart Cities Center in the Data Science Institute. She directs the Data and innovative technology-driven Transportation Lab. Her work focuses on pioneering the development of digital twins for urban transportation management, including autonomous vehicle control on shared roads with humans, multi-modal mobility optimization, and the intersection of transportation with health considerations.
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Host: Dr. Emmanuel Kattan
Editor and Producer: Monica Beatrice Hunter-Hart
Producer: Georgia O’Neil