# Public Perception of the Introduction of Autonomous Vehicles
## 5 Conclusions  
This paper presents the results of an investigation into the community's views on the transition to use of AVs in Saudi Arabia. The research was conducted at a time when AVs with a higher level of automation were relatively new to the KSA public and the market. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data on participants' awareness and knowledge of AVs, their attitudes towards AVs, and their readiness to use autonomous cars. The results of the descriptive analyses show that there is a difference between women and men in the expected benefits they reported for the transition to use of AVs. However, both groups reported that they predicted that there would be no high risk in the introduction of AVs on the roads of KSA. We can see that autonomous vehicles with higher levels of autonomy are well accepted in Saudi Arabia. Our investigation shows that people are willing to pay for automation, but only a small proportion reported that they would pay for fully automated vehicles at level 5. The timeline for the transition toward use of AVs is predicted to be 10 years in the survey responses. This is well aligned with the KSA government's strategy and planning for this important transition in the transport sector. At the same time, ITSs and smart cities are on the same timeline; these are directly correlated and interdependent. The present findings confirmed the previously published outcomes in the literature, showing that Saudi women seem to favour AVs more than conventional vehicles. Results also showed that participants who had prior knowledge of AVs tended to have an attitude that was three times more positive towards the transition in comparison with people who had only heard or had never heard about AVs. This is the same finding that researchers have presented from conducting surveys in the EU, China, and other regions worldwide. There are concerns reported both in our study and globally present surrounding trust in the new technologies. It appears that, in addition to knowledge about a given new technology, trust in it is also built on existing relationship and trust with the manufacturers. This is common among drivers worldwide, but also among non-matorists and other road users. Further progress in AV technology and its introduction depends on the developments of more sophisticated AI algorithms. This constant improvement in AI is directly transferable and will influence AVs, intelligent transport systems, and smart cities. The introduction of new technology will influence many sectors of human activities and businesses. Similar to any new industry revolution, workforce structure and requirements will change. In our survey, more than 50% of our participants expressed concern surrounding employment issues. In conclusion, through increased safety, efficiency, and sustainability--in terms of lowering pollution--autonomous vehicles have the potential to revolutionise transport. AVs are a key modality among new mobility solutions and comprise a key subsystem in future ITSs. There are issues that need to be considered in terms of moral and ethical dilemmas with fully automated vehicles, as well as a regulatory framework for AVs. Progress is moving towards the development of comprehensive and reliable solutions for autonomous vehicles through utilising cutting-edge technologies, including big data analytics, IoT, ITS, AI, and cloud and edge computing. The whole ITS system, in the near future, will be supported by a more dependable and comfortable networking infrastructure thanks to the full application of ICT and VANET in handling the global transition to autonomous vehicles. The limitation in our survey on the acceptance of new technologies in the automotive industry as presented here is that we have investigated only the transition to increased use of AVs and not the acceptance process surrounding electric vehicles. The AVs of the future will likely be electric vehicles, running on green electricity.