AI Revolution in the Automotive and Servicing Industries
Jonathan Stotts
Senior PR & Communications Manager
In the 2023 Automotive Highlights Webinar hosted by Anyline, we had the opportunity to talk to some industry experts to gather their insights and ideas on the AI revolution within the automotive and auto-serving industries. The conversation with Marc Babin, the Creative Director at Anyline, Christian Plaichner, the CPO of Anyline, Anudar Hanibal, the Managing Director at Carve8 & 1886 Ventures, and Zach Olson, the Founder and CEO of Treads, is full of insightful information on the changes happening in the industry.
Is AI Advancement Something Brands and Operations Have Proactively Planned For?
One of the first questions we have is to get a feel for its expectations. Do organizations plan to adopt AI technology? Did they see it coming? Anudar offers some insight, sharing that many have a good understanding of the trends that are coming into the industry. “In 2016, Mercedes-Benz, for example, introduced their big strategy, which was called, “Case,” or connected, autonomous, shared & service, and electric.”
“On the other hand, there is still a big lack of that tech capacity and know-how…” She notes, too, that those who are building the “nice” cars and the high-value vehicles have long put in cutting-edge technology to warrant those bigger dollars. Yet, other companies haven’t planned to use AI because it’s not what Anudar calls their “home turf.” That has led to many organizations jumping in now, feeling out of place, and putting a lot on the line to do so. Though many organizations are still in their pilot phase, they will likely conclude that building their own AI technology isn’t beneficial or necessary.
It's Not Just About the Big Companies
One thing that’s clear is that AI technology isn’t an optional investment. All companies will have to move towards it to keep up with the competition and remain viable in the marketplace. Yet, the question is, how do they do it?
Marc, talking about OEMs, asks, “They have to rely on other providers to give them tools and use solutions from other players. Can OEMs get away with a lot more then, or is there an opportunity, you think, for smaller players to kind of step up in the market, maybe where the OEMs are a bit more conservative? “
Anudar shares, “In this area of the business, I think even small start-ups can get huge.” She continues, “We see this with what has happened with Tesla…everyone was laughing…” But today, we know that Tesla vehicles are, in fact, computers with wheels. That’s what the customer wants, and even smaller or even new OEMs can come to market if they can provide what the customer wants in some way. The key is they must have a competitive advantage to find their place in this process.
AI Is Creating Reach Like Never Before
Over at Treads, Zach and his team are working to create solutions matching customer demands. The rapid evolution of AI has allowed companies to create what would have been previously perceived as impractical or an impossible reality.
“Consumers, especially a younger demographic of consumers who have really grown up with this on-demand economy…” has changed perspectives. Most people in the world have a high-powered computer in their hand, and that’s what has created the possibility of adopting unique technologies. Zach shares, “We started just connecting all these dots from consumer mindset and their readiness to adopt these things to the actual technical capability to be able to ship these products to the mass market. And so, that’s why it gets so exciting. Okay, now all these dots are being connected.” He continues, “Consumers are ready to really embrace this because they expect things differently now. And that’s the opportunity that we’re seizing.”
There’s no doubt this is an exciting time to be in the automotive industry, and AI is just starting to move fully into this consumer-focused aspect of the industry. Companies will need to embrace it fully to achieve their best returns.
