Abstract: With the acceleration of urbanization, traffic congestion, frequent traffic accidents and environmental pollution are becoming more and more serious, and autonomous driving technology is regarded as one of the key solutions to solve these problems. We review the current situation, challenges and trends of artificial intelligence-assisted autonomous vehicles. Firstly, we sort out the technical principles of artificial intelligence relied on by autonomous driving. Secondly, we elaborate three major applications of artificial intelligence technology in autonomous vehicles, including environment recognition, path selection and vehicle control, and then we summarize and analyze the relevant algorithms and models. Thirdly, we highlight the technical challenges. Finally, we prospect the development trend of artificial intelligence in the field of autonomous vehicles.