5-10 years ago, when talking about self-driving cars, many of you might have imagined that they were only used in sci-fi movies. But today, it really happened. AI is now being effectively used in the automotive industry to develop and enhance the value chain in every aspect, such as design, manufacturing process, selling, and after-sales service. Normally, every passenger car is produced with more than 30,000 auto parts. In order to ensure quality, safety, and fast production in order to reach production targets, robots are used in the production line with greater accuracy than humans. Besides, some of the car factories use Computer Vision technology to enhance quality control as its standard, such as in the painting process, which was often found to be the main problem and claimed by a number of customers, and the interior noise test, which can reduce the production cost efficiency.
For the sales process, leading luxury car showrooms have used AI to create dream cars for customers, such as interior and exterior design, choosing their preferred engine and driving system from more than 10 million specs and choices, which will mostly match customers' needs. By doing this, it helps enhance customer experience, sales growth, and brand loyalty, as well as grow positive word of mouth.
In terms of safe driving, AI and software also play an important role. Nowadays, leading automotive brands have considered using technology to develop their cars while focusing on safe driving, such as blind spot alert systems, automatic braking systems, overtaking vehicle warning systems, and autopilots when the driver falls asleep, which enable the car to steer, accelerate and brake automatically within its lane. Especially in an emergency situation, AI can make better decisions than humans which can save lives and reduce the accidental rate. One interesting example is Tesla which uses cameras, sensors, and radar to monitor the driver's eyes and movement. If the driver tends to fall asleep behind the wheel, the car will change to an autopilot system to control the car within the lane and drive at the same speed as other cars on the road. It is a great technology to protect driver and passenger lives and prevent accidents with other cars on the same route.
For the driving experience, the BMW 3 Series is equipped with a personal assistant via voice control, which is intelligent and accurate. The driver can ask to adjust the temperature and interior lights, select the right music, etc. In the near future, this system will be available not only in certain brands, but in all vehicles to meet the needs of all customers.
AI is also used in after-sales service to predict maintenance periods to detect any potential problems even before they occur. Furthermore, the system can alert the car owners whenever the engine needs to be checked, by evaluating the individual driver’s data. For car insurance, AI is used to help car owners personalize their insurance by considering the driving style of the car owner (with the driver’s consent), which will be beneficial for both the insurers and the drivers.
Automotive group leaders have predicted that we will see advanced technology that will be used to develop self-driving cars and driver assistants. The importance of AI to the automotive industry over the coming decade cannot be overstated. Many of the leading car brands will try to develop electric cars and batteries to reduce air pollution, as well as use software and data analysis from users and related organizations to plan the marketing strategy to serve customer needs. Today, we have seen the great leap forward development of the automotive industry. As you know from the example that I gave earlier, I believe that humans will not stop developing new creativity for the automotive industry, as you know from the example that I mentioned earlier. We may have seen advancement from some of the leading automotive brands, but from now on, I think every brand will try to deploy technology and AI to create dream cars that can transform and improve human lives for a better life.