Ford has announced that it is investing $1bn into a company called Argo AI over the next five years, securing itself a majority stake. Founded by former Google and Uber vets, Argo AI is being tasked with building a new software platform for Ford’s autonomous vehicles, using Argo’s robotics and AI expertise to create a ‘virtual driver system.’ The automotive giant notes that the platform might be licensed to other companies interested in adopting it. Ford is combining its current virtual driver system (VDS) team with Argo, and expects to use the system in an SAE Level 4 compliant vehicle – scheduled for launch in 2021. To this end, Argo is planning to grow to a 200-strong team by the…