Does Google want to become an automaker, or is it more interested in producing the software and maps required for the driverless car?

Chris Urmson will outline Google's agenda and explain the road ahead for autonomous driving on Jan. 14 at the Automotive News World Congress. Urmson leads Google's self-driving car program.

This year Google unveiled an electric, two-seat prototype that points toward a personal transportation system that challenges the driver-centered, ownership-based business model that has ruled the industry for more than a century. Urmson is at the center of Google's automotive expansion, which also has included the development of maps and software for the industry.

Before joining Google, Urmson was on the faculty of the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University where his research focused on motion planning and perception for robotic vehicles.

Urmson joins a roster of Automotive News World Congress speakers that includes Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk, Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne and General Motors CEO Mary Barra.