I’ve read a few articles lately about the amount and types of data that will be generated by Autonomous Vehicles (AVs). Every single article talks about the data that will be generated by the vehicle itself. I’ve yet to see anyone discussing the real value generated by these AVs. To wit; what are the people in the vehicle doing while they’re being transported from point A to point B?  Here’s yet another recent example…

Automakers have a choice: Become data companies or become irrelevant

While I don’t disagree with the headline, I do believe that of the various revenue generating data streams, the one that will require constant evaluation and examination is the Occupant Activity (OA) stream.

We will be able to use Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to monetize and curate the vehicle data. All of that is pretty straight forward stuff. The more miles the vehicles travel, the better insight we’ll have into what types of activity generate the most maintenance costs and where the “sweet spot” is for revenue generating AV trips.  The computers will gather, process and evaluate that data and learn from it. That’s easy.

OA is a different story. It’s a story that marketing research firms have used to survive all these years. The story is about changing behaviors and tastes. What was in yesterday is sure to be old-hat tomorrow. This is critical to the equation because onboard sensors will surely be able to capture in-the-moment OA. And once enough training data has been acquired, codified, and processed, the ML and AI bits will be able to make sense of it and predict future OA. But, unlike what happens when the AV hits # potholes – requiring service to parts A and B – the behavior of humans is slightly more difficult to predict and monetize. This will be key to an AV manufacturer’s success.