Autonomous Cars: The Entertainment Hubs of the Future?

What would you do if you never had to drive a car again? Would you work on a presentation during the hands-free ride to work? Take a nap? Maybe you’d use the extra time to catch up on some movies you’ve missed, or play a couple rounds of video games.

As consumers wonder about a future with self-driving vehicles, entertainment companies are already making plans to capitalize on its potential. Warner Bros. recently announced they’re partnering with Intel to explore the possibility of autonomous cars functioning more as entertainment hubs.

Of course, Intel and Warner Bros. want you to be able to watch movies or play games during your ride, but they’re also working on delivering innovative, in-car VR and AR experiences. With AR, for example, they could make the interior of your car look like the Batmobile.

As is often the case with innovative ideas, this announcement was met with a healthy dose of skepticism. Critics say that it’s premature. Many are unconvinced that fully autonomous cars will ever become reality, as the industry struggles with a variety of technological, ethical, and security challenges.

Putting those issues aside, though, there’s still another major challenge: Do consumers even want what Intel and Warner Bros. are promising?

While we can all agree that it might be fun to watch movies or have an immersive AR experience while riding in a driverless car, Intel also admits they want to transform cars into “consumer spaces,” with advertising splashed all over your devices and likely even your windshield. For example, the Batmobile concept includes plans for advertising, as well.

Is this idea really appealing, or are consumers tired of being endlessly targeted? Perhaps consumers would prefer in-car entertainment on their own terms.

An ultra-portable computer like LINK, for instance, would allow drivers to bring up to 2TBs-worth of their favorite content—pretty much their entire digital world—into the car with them. Passengers can  then stream to the vehicle’s infotainment system, allowing the enjoyment of almost any show or movie they’d like, without needing access to a mobile network or using up all their data. Perhaps best of all, since you’ll be streaming your own content, you can rest assured that it’s advertisement-free.

Learn more about LINK, the ultra-portable computer made for the connected age, and how it can change the way you drive.