AI Is Changing The Auto Industry For The Better
Artificial Intelligence or AI, is everywhere. The degree might vary, but its influence can’t be overlooked. We almost live and breathe by it. It influences what we use, what we watch, how we shop, and now, how we make, choose, and drive cars as well. Agreed, the big play for AI is self-driving cars when it comes to the automotive industry. But, that’s still very much in its infancy. What’s here and now is data science and how we employ machine learning to finally give us solutions, efficiencies, and customisation that not only makes the consumers’ lives better, but it makes businesses sharper as well.
Today, the automobile sector is on the brink of a tremendous upheaval. Visionary automakers have begun implementing innovative technologies into their products and processes in order to stay one step ahead of their industry peers. Artificial intelligence and data science integration have helped not just automobile manufacturers, but also component suppliers, software providers, vehicle rental firms, and other automotive-related enterprises. In the broadest sense, one can divide AI in the auto space into three categories, especially when it comes to cars. There’s the vehicle design and production. There’s the buying journey. And of course, the car itself.
Making Of The Car
If used correctly, data can help close loops to deliver better products and experiences. Take vehicle design for instance. With so much data being generated around the car driving behaviour, usage pattern, preference for a particular type of feature - AI helps designers and product development teams tailor-make future models that are more relevant and in-tune with what consumers want. They can add or subtract elements and features in a car based on how consumers have been using models or iterations of the car. Not only will this be appreciated by the end consumer, but it also helps use resources more effectively.
Similar efficiencies and sharp focus can be seen in manufacturing. With the aid of artificial intelligence and machine learning, robots are acquiring automobile manufacturing skills. Robots are being used by key auto manufacturers to assist people in the production of automobiles. In the near future, these AI-powered robots will be able to control and manage the overall factory without the need for a huge workforce and 24x7 human supervision.
The Car
One doesn’t need to fantasise about KITT from Knight Rider anymore, because so much of that is already a reality in cars today. Okay, we haven’t gotten to cars that are self-aware just yet, but communicating, learning, and interacting with the human in the car is something cars are already doing today. The AI in the car learns one’s preferred temperature setting, or most frequently navigated destination, or even a favourite playlist if there’s one. And what all this does, is make car travel or commute, less taxing and more intuitive.
Automakers are currently collaborating with a range of software businesses to develop engaging and personalised user experiences. This is where AI delivers user behavioural patterns to auto manufacturers to assist them in creating a highly tailored and direct customer experience via in-car systems. AI-powered infotainment systems learn about their users’ habits and preferences over time. So, the next time users get into the car following a long day at work, the AI ensures the environment inside is optimal for the user.
The Rest
But the impact of AI is not restricted only to car manufacturing or its associated technology service providers. AI is also being leveraged to make the car buying and selling journey seamless for consumers. Imagine a future, where AI enabled customer interface systems tell you which car is the best for you based on your driving, penalties received, insurance claimed, and health data. AI has the capability to finely tune and customise product offerings and models down to the minutest detail.
In the upcoming years, we may also see big infrastructural modifications to the nation’s mobility systems as automobiles become smarter. Next-generation city models would use AI to create high-resolution 3D visuals of actual roads. Urban areas may transmit routinely modified maps using data from multiple high-resolution CCTVs, radars, neural networks, GPS, and algorithms that use sensors. Cars would also receive real-time updates of any form of congestion in the situation of an emergency, owing to roadside equipment integrated with several cameras and radar systems.
In Conclusion
Future AI-based technologies will add more value to cars, helping accelerate production, maximise production capacity, and gather data with a unique user experience. The future economic growth fuel for the automotive sector will surely be big data. An AI/ML-based system using big data can correctly predict the supply-demand volatility and also ensure a customer gets the right product based on his or her profile. Artificial intelligence is truly and properly here. It is transforming the automobile sector, from how we drive to how we engage with the automobile. And the good news is, as an industry, not only are we embracing this technology with open arms, we are ready to exploit it as well.
