Google hopes to form partnerships with many automakers and suppliers as it develops self-driving cars to reduce traffic accidents and expand mobility for elderly and disabled people, the head of its vehicle project said.

The Alphabet Inc. company wants to announce some of those joint efforts during 2016, John Krafcik, the Google executive, said in Detroit at an Automotive News conference Tuesday held in conjunction with North American International Auto Show.

Almost every automaker “has been in to speak with us, if only to understand where we are,” Krafcik said. “I don’t know how many we’ll end up having.”

His comments counter speculation that Google would pick a single automaker as its exclusive partner for self-driving cars. Yahoo Autos reported last month that Ford Motor Co. would announce a joint venture with Google on self-driving. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV and General Motors Co. have also said they’re talking with Google about developing self-driving cars.

Meanwhile, Google said i has hired former White House Deputy National Security Adviser Caroline Atkinson to lead its global policy team as the Internet advertising giant seeks an advocate to deal with regulators around the world.

Atkinson, 63, stepped down in December from her post in U.S. President Barack Obama’s administration as an emissary to the Group of 20 economies, negotiating behind-the-scenes on agreements of international scope and significance.

Google, a unit of Alphabet Inc., currently faces probes from both federal and European regulators into its businesses, as the company’s increasing influence over areas like mobile phones and Web search draws scrutiny.

"Caroline’s an internationally respected diplomat and adviser, and we’re delighted to have such a thoughtful leader heading our global policy team," Google General Counsel Kent Walker said in a statement.

Atkinson also previously worked at the National Security Council, the International Monetary Fund, the Treasury Department, and investor consultancy Stonebridge International. She was selected by the Obama administration in June 2013.