At Motive, our AI isn’t just about models and data—it’s about impact. Our team is dedicated to developing technology that keeps people safe and businesses running smoothly across the physical economy. One of the engineers behind this mission is Saloni Jhalani, a Machine Learning Engineer whose work is helping shape the future of AI-powered safety on the road.
We sat down with Saloni to learn more about her journey, her favorite projects, and how Motive builds AI that makes a real-world difference.
Q: Tell us about your role at Motive and what it entails.
As a Machine Learning Engineer at Motive, my job is to build smart AI solutions that help make roads safer for everyone. I work closely with different teams to ensure that the systems we develop are both scalable and reliable.
Q: What drew you to Motive initially?
When I first heard about Motive, I was immediately inspired by the meaningful work the company is doing in AI. As someone deeply passionate about technology, I knew Motive would be the perfect place to deepen my skills and work on real-world problems with real-world impact.
Q: With AI rapidly evolving, how do you stay ahead of the latest industry trends?
I keep up with the latest advancements by reading research papers, attending webinars, taking relevant courses, and following industry news. I also follow key AI thought leaders on LinkedIn and Twitter. Beyond just learning, I love experimenting with new ideas and applying them directly to my work.
Q: Tell us about the AI models we’re building and how they go to work for our customers.
At Motive, we’re building AI models to improve road safety by detecting behaviors like driver fatigue, smoking, eating, and lane swerving. We’re also improving the precision of existing models for events like stop sign violations and forward collision warnings.
By expanding our AI capabilities and constantly refining them, we deliver more effective and reliable safety solutions that help create safer conditions on the road.
Q: What’s been your favorite project at Motive and why?
One of my favorite projects was developing Unsafe Parking Detection. This model addresses a serious safety risk: vehicles stopping on highway shoulders, exposing drivers to fast-moving traffic.
This project was technically challenging but deeply rewarding. I conducted in-depth analysis, ran numerous experiments, and trained multiple models to achieve the high level of precision required. The end result was an accurate model that can help prevent potentially catastrophic accidents.
Q: What makes Motive’s AI so impactful? How are we building it differently?
Motive’s AI is grounded in real-world road safety experience and built to tackle real challenges. We train our models on high-quality datasets and continuously improve them using field feedback. This iterative approach ensures that our technology stays in sync with changing road conditions and driver behavior.
We also prioritize understanding customer needs and adapting our models accordingly, which makes our AI not just powerful, but truly practical.
Q: What does our review process look like to ensure accuracy before launch? Why is this important?
Our review process is thorough and structured. We start with backtesting on existing data, followed by internal QA testing. Then we run beta tests with selected fleets, monitor performance over time, collect feedback, and refine the model. Only after this do we roll out an AI feature in phases.
Accuracy is crucial—especially when it comes to safety. When our AI accurately detects unsafe behaviors, it helps prevent accidents and builds trust with our customers.
Q: What’s next for AI in the spaces we care about?
The future of AI in physical operations is incredibly exciting. From more intelligent behavior detection to proactive, context-aware safety interventions, we’re moving toward AI that doesn’t just observe but helps act in real time.
At Motive, we’re pushing the boundaries of what AI can do for safety, reliability, and efficiency—and I’m excited to be part of that journey.
Interested in building AI that makes a real-world difference? Join our team and help us shape the future of safety and operations: gomotive.com/careers
