Driving Innovation: AI Working Group Charts Path for Automotive Aftermarket AI Adoption
On Dec. 4, 2024, the Emerging Technologies Committee (ETC) AI Working Group convened its second meeting to shape the future of artificial intelligence (AI) in the automotive aftermarket. The meeting, led by Mark Seng – Predii, Ryan Frisch – Hunter Engineering, and Mike Tanner – Auto Care Assoc., set a clear agenda for empowering organizations to navigate AI implementation effectively.
Setting the Stage
The group welcomed new members Lance Brierley – Alliance1 and Ram Marupudi – O’Reilly Auto Parts, who joined the conversation about AI’s transformative potential. With a focus on collaboration and neutrality, the group reaffirmed its mission to provide guidance on critical topics such as data preparation, security, and AI use case identification.
Strategic Objectives
Mike Tanner outlined the Working Group’s key objectives:
1. Learning and Adapting AI Solutions: Equipping members with tools to seamlessly integrate AI.
2. Neutrality and Accessibility: Providing unbiased resources, tools, and guidelines.
3. Industry Focus: Addressing unique challenges in the automotive aftermarket.
By fostering a collaborative environment, the group aims to demystify AI and help members leverage its benefits.
White Papers as a Cornerstone
The group prioritized creating structured white papers to support AI readiness in the following areas:
Guidelines for Vendor Selection
To ensure neutrality and avoid conflicts of interest, the group plans to develop vendor evaluation guidelines based on key characteristics rather than endorsing specific providers.
Data Preparation Tools and Standards
The importance of standardized and cleansed data was emphasized as a cost-saving and efficiency-enhancing measure. Recommendations for data preparation tools will be explored.
Industry Insights and Trends
Guest speaker Michael Chung shared insights on current AI trends and opportunities for collaboration with the Market Intelligence Committee. Topics included:
Automotive Aftermarket Use Cases
The group identified practical applications of AI tailored to the industry, such as:
Next Steps
The AI Working Group committed to several initiatives to drive progress into 2025:
The AI Working Group Members include:
|
|
|
|
|
Name |
Company |
Committee |
|
Mark Seng |
Predii |
Emerging Technologies |
|
Sam Pradish |
Repairify |
Guest |
|
Ben Spitz |
Parts Authority |
Sustainability |
|
Leon Cheng |
YCP |
Marketing Intelligence |
|
Joseph DeLorme |
Dorman |
Events |
|
Ram Marupudi |
Oreilly Auto |
Emerging Technologies |
|
Jill Trotta |
Motor |
Education |
|
Lance Brierley |
Alliance1 |
Technology Standards |
|
Lisa Jinn |
Denso |
Category Management |
|
Ryan Frisch |
Hunter Engineering |
Emerging Technologies |
Looking Ahead
The group aims to meet again in late January or early February 2025 to finalize deliverables and prepare for the February Committee Meeting. These efforts position the AI Working Group as a driving force in advancing the adoption of AI across the automotive aftermarket.
With a focus on education, collaboration, and innovation, the group is poised to empower industry members to unlock AI’s transformative potential.
Welcome to the new YANG Effect! Your one-stop quarterly newsletter for all things Automotive Aftermarket contributed to and written by under-40 industry professionals.
More posts
Market Insights with Mike is a series presented by the Auto Care Association's Director of Market Intelligence, Mike Chung, that is dedicated to analyzing market-influencing trends as they happen and their potential effects on your business and the auto care industry.
More posts