Drive.ai's focus is artificial intelligence for self-driving cars, which is cost-efficient and can be developed relatively quickly. Their aim, much like Lyft's, is to use autonomous driving tech to improve quality of life. The partnership will put actual self-driving cars, powered by Drive.ai's intelligent software, onto the streets of San Francisco. Drive.ai has already received a self-driving permit from the state of California, and all pilot program vehicles will have a trained driver in the car, just in case.

It's impossible to know how self-driving technology will function if companies can't test it on actual roads, so this pilot is an encouraging sign. In addition, when companies like Lyft partner with organizations developing this tech, they help push forward developments in (and regulations of, which is key -- we still haven't developed many of the laws we'll need to govern autonomous vehicles) self-driving. It's just another step forward for the technology as a whole.