Ford wants to use the Google Prediction API to predict driver behavior and use that input to make cars perform better. The company's goal is to use cloud-based storage and computing to collect and process information about how drivers use their vehicles.

The Google Prediction API, released last year by Google Labs, is designed for giving an application information about past user actions so it can better predict future behavior. The API (application programming interface) uses pattern-matching and machine learning and is designed to be simple to use.

A large amount of information about a driver's preferences and driving behavior could be stored in a profile in the cloud and then accessed when that driver got in the car, according to Ford. The company emphasized that drivers would have to opt in to such a service so none of this data would be collected unless they agreed to it. The profile would also be encrypted to protect the information from unauthorized use.

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