Freddy - LOL! I don't think they ever did study what it means to be a horse especially since science wasn't too far advanced when Ford built the first car.
Unless you want to consider the age-old (and very good) novel "Black Beauty" which I read over and over as a kid.
And a car has a different personality than a horse, really. I mean, since horses can't talk and cars can't but it's possible for them to, I would think that cars would think differently. I mean, horses just go where steered and poo whenever needed. A car goes where steered, sputters in protest if you try to do something unsafe (mine does at least!) and hauls loads and listens to us gripe about the other drivers, and then tries to warn us with lights, bells and whistles when something is wrong or the lights were left on or something.
And those cars that DO talk, well, I haven't personally met a talking car yet, but I hear they just give voice notifications. MY car (if I get the money, time and softare together), will carry on a conversation. So, I'm also going to try and think about some things for the AI brain, like what the world looks like from the perspective of a car, and my own car's unique personality which kinda grew as he got used to me the past 5 years (and I got used to how the car worked as well).
For instance:
1. A car's life is mostly in a garage or parking lot. To my car, the parking lot where he can "keep an eye on everyone" is "home" to him.
2. A car often also is on the road - it's "main purpose". So in such, it has to have some road "social skills" like 'it's not polite to break down in the middle of the road unless you really really really can't help it' and 'if the driver is looking at that OTHER car, act up quick and get their attention back on the road again or you'll BOTH be in big trouble!' and stuff like that.
3. If other cars are rude and cut you off, you're supposed to beep at them. Alert them to a potential disaster!
4. A car's job is to keep the driver, passengers and those in OTHER CARS safe. Keep the motor running, keep going, and know the rules of the road. Act up if you can if your driver doesn't.
5. It's fun to spray humans with water! Hell, it's even MORE fun seeing their reaction! Puddle stomping is FUN - especially if mud is invovled. And it will also get you a car wash too as the owner hates a dirty car!
6. Running over glass bottles is as much fun to cars as popping bubble wrap is to humans. Just be sure you're wearing those fancy all-season steel-belted radial tires that are nearly leak-proof or the owner will be quite mad at you if you pop one en route somewhere. And so will you if you kiss that other car the owner was staring at! (You'll kick yourself in the tail pipe for it, too).
7. Humans love it when cars talk. Feel free to be a 'motor mouth' and cut up!
8. Be informative and useful above all. Give directions, reminders of the day's schedule, shopping list, and help out every way you can. Altert driver at all times of shopping cart attacks by blowing your security sirens and whistles and scaring the heebie jeebies out of everyone in the near vacinity!
9. Keep going even if your parts fall off. Your driver will get you fixed later. The one thing humans NEED NOW is to JUST GET HOME. So get them home if you can at all possibly do so.
:-D
Ok, so maybe that is the personality of a rather mischievous, yet very kind-hearted car.
At least that is what I'm hoping to have for an AI personality for my car. He seems much like this anyway.
Also, I think a car might have a different 'personality' than horses overall after we see shows like Knight Rider, Herbie, etc. and their car-personalities. I think that's some of what my car is like, too or at least I just notice those traits at times.