Autonomous Vehicles: Threats, Risks, and Opportunities

The potential of autonomous vehicles (AVs) has been growing since the 1990s. Though AV proponents have often over-promised and under- delivered in the past, advances in artificial intelligence (AI) are now enabling autonomous applications to develop at faster rates. Opportunities for the use of AVs span commercial, military, and security sectors and cover land, air, sea, and under-the-sea domains. These new technologies offer logistical, operational, and technical benefits, but they also bring with them a range of threats, risks, and challenges that may limit their use or slow down their deployment.

This report documents the threats, risks, challenges, and opportunities presented by AVs in several fields to provide recommendations for their use by security practitioners. It shows how practitioners can benefit from advances in AV technologies while avoiding unexpected or unintended consequences.