Sony to form joint-venture for AI-based taxi-hailing app in Japan
Tokyo — On Tuesday, electronics giant Sony announced a plan to provide an artificial intelligence (AI)-based ride-hailing system to Japanese cab companies, while another taxi firm said they were in talks with Uber on a tie-up. Sony said it was planning a joint venture to offer AI technology to six taxi operators, which currently own a total of 10,000 vehicles in Tokyo. The technology would use AI to predict demand for taxis and allow companies to more efficiently mobilise their resources. The companies will form a joint venture this spring to develop a taxi-hailing app, though Sony said further discussions would be held before any legally-binding agreement is inked. Also on Tuesday, Daiichi Kotsu Sangyo, a taxi company based in southern Fukuoka prefecture, announced they are in talks to join hands with US ride-sharing titan Uber. Taxi-hailing apps have found it challenging to crack the Japanese market, where risk-averse passengers prefer to stick to their high-quality traditional ta...
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