In the rapidly evolving landscape of autonomous driving, the capability to accurately predict future events and assess their implications is paramount for both safety and efficiency, critically aiding the decision-making process. World models have emerged as a transformative approach, enabling autonomous driving systems to synthesize and interpret vast amounts of sensor data, thereby predicting potential future scenarios and compensating for information gaps. This paper provides an initial review of the current state and prospective advancements of world models in autonomous driving, spanning their theoretical underpinnings, practical applications, and the ongoing research efforts aimed at overcoming existing limitations. Highlighting the significant role of world models in advancing autonomous driving technologies, this survey aspires to serve as a foundational reference for the research community, facilitating swift access to and comprehension of this burgeoning field, and inspiring continued innovation and exploration.

翻译：在自动驾驶快速发展的背景下，准确预测未来事件并评估其影响的能力对于确保安全性和效率至关重要，这极大地辅助了决策过程。世界模型已成为一种变革性方法，使自动驾驶系统能够综合并解释大量传感器数据，从而预测潜在未来场景并弥补信息缺失。本文对世界模型在自动驾驶领域的当前状态和未来进展进行了初步综述，涵盖其理论基础、实际应用以及旨在克服现有局限性的持续研究工作。本综述强调世界模型在推动自动驾驶技术发展中的重要作用，旨在为研究社区提供基础参考，促进对该新兴领域的快速理解与掌握，并激励持续的创新与探索。