U.S. President Barack Obama will talk about the prospects for self-driving cars in his final State of the Union Address.
According to government officials, for the first time the president has used the annual speech to tackle an important issue facing the auto and technology industries.
Obama is also expected to attend the Detroit Auto Show next Wednesday, Jan 20.
Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx will be in Detroit to talk about administration efforts to speed the introduction of self-driving vehicles.
Foxx is expected to talk about efforts by the Obama administration to speed up the introduction of self-driving vehicles. There is not yet a clear legal framework governing their presence on US roads, which is a concern for automakers and technology companies.
Alphabet Inc's Google and others have called on regulators to clarify guidelines for introduction of autonomous driving technology, in part out of concern that a mishap in a self-driving car could result in costly litigation.