There's no word on when this would be ready, or whether Sony hopes to offer the service outside of Japan.

It may seem odd for Sony to chase after cabs when ridesharing services like Uber are quickly taking hold, but it doesn't have much choice. Japan has a ban on using private cars for ride hailing services, which largely kills the ridesharing business model. This gives Sony a toehold in the transportation world without having to limit use to other countries, which could be helpful if and when self-driving cars become the norm.

As it is, there's plenty of competitive pressure. Toyota just poured about $70 million into the app creator JapanTaxi, and it's working on its own AI-centered taxi system. If Sony doesn't get in early, it risks missing out on what could be a hot market.