The companies are collaborating to harness generative AI for improved vehicle convenience and enhanced road safety.
Bosch is exploring the use of generative AI to enhance automated driving functions. In collaboration with Microsoft, Bosch aims to leverage the power of generative AI to improve vehicle safety and convenience.
Dr. Stefan Hartung, chairman of the Bosch board of management, emphasized the importance of bringing a new dimension of AI applications into vehicles at the Bosch Connected World (BCW) AIoT industry conference in Berlin. The goal is for generative AI to enable vehicles to assess situations and react appropriately, enhancing road safety. This aligns with the desires of 60 per cent of respondents in the Bosch Tech Compass survey, who wish for greater safety on the roads.
Bosch and Microsoft’s collaboration seeks to take automated driving functions to the next level by utilizing generative AI. Bosch’s deep understanding of vehicles and automotive-specific AI expertise, combined with access to vehicle sensor data, will be crucial in this endeavour. Uli Homann, Microsoft CVP and Distinguished Architect, expressed eagerness to explore collaboration opportunities with Bosch to pioneer generative AI in road safety.
Currently, AI systems for automated driving can detect various entities but face limitations in predicting potential accidents. Generative AI, with its ability to process vast amounts of data, could help systems determine whether a situation is hazardous. For example, it could differentiate between a plastic bag and a damaged vehicle part on the road, enabling appropriate responses such as warnings or initiating braking while activating hazard lights.
Bosch and Microsoft have previously partnered to develop a universal software platform connecting cars and the cloud. They are now looking forward to identifying new opportunities to bring advanced AI technology to customers and the autonomous vehicle industry.
Dr. Tanja Rueckert, a member of the Bosch board of management and chief digital officer, highlighted generative AI’s potential to transform industries akin to the invention of the computer. The 2024 Bosch Tech Compass survey reflects this sentiment, with 64 per cent of respondents considering AI as the most important technology for the future.
Bosch is already utilizing generative AI in various areas, collaborating with partners such as AWS, Google, and Aleph Alpha. Bosch Ventures invested in Aleph Alpha, and the partnership is now yielding results in North America, where Bosch is introducing AI-based speech recognition for a premium car manufacturer. This solution uses natural language processing to understand and respond to breakdown service calls, reducing driver wait times and enabling automatic processing of up to 40 per cent of calls.
Bosch’s AI experts are working on over 120 applications for new AI models, including software code generation, chatbots, and voicebots to support technicians and interact with consumers. AskBosch, an AI-assisted search engine, offers natural-language access to various data sources, including internal Bosch information. Generative AI is also speeding up manufacturing processes, with projects in Bosch plants using synthetic images to develop and optimize AI solutions for optical inspection. This is expected to significantly reduce the time required for planning and launching AI applications, from six to twelve months to just a few weeks.
