The mobility sector is in the midst of a historic transformation driven by electrification and automation that provides the Detroit Region with a unique opportunity to benefit from the application of AI.
The Detroit Regional Partnership (DRP), through its Global Epicenter of Mobility (GEM) program, has recently concluded its Future Mobility Technology Study with its partner S&P Global Mobility.
The study identifies the future mobility technologies best suited to be developed and manufactured in the Detroit Region and focuses on current and future technologies with strong growth potential over the next five to seven years. It includes everything from electric motors to software to automated assembly.
AI is integral to developing these technologies, which will be deployed across a myriad of mobility sectors, including light vehicles, medium and heavy-duty vehicles, aerospace, maritime, and agricultural vehicles. The opportunity for growth and investment is significant, which has huge implications for industry, but also the Detroit Region as a global mobility leader.
The emergence of these seven future mobility technologies demands flexibility and labor efficiency best supported by assembly automation technologies leveraging AI. Due to these technologies serving multiple modes of mobility and needing to react to market changes, flexibility is critical. Additionally, labor efficiency is required for these cutting-edge investments. AI promotes flexibility and efficiency in these processes by leveraging data to enable predictive analytics to replace complex decision-making processes, such as crash tests. This utilization of AI by automakers and suppliers will lead to increased uptime and efficiency.
Like assembly automation, AI supports several Software Defined Vehicles (SDVs) applications, including autonomous driving, cybersecurity, and personalized in-vehicle customer experiences. Autonomous driving systems are reliant on AI for complex decision-making processes as companies human decision-making.
For cybersecurity, AI will develop the ability to identify and prevent cyberattacks. Lastly, SDVs will utilize AI to personalize customer experiences by analyzing driver habits to adjust settings and infotainment while also predicting maintenance needs.
AI is critical for the Detroit Region to fully capitalize on the transition to future mobility. Mobility companies around the world are leaning into AI and software investments as they realize AI will support efficient development and deployment of SDV applications. These investments and competencies in AI will grow in the years to come, particularly as innovation evolves into new and exciting mobility sectors.
By leaning into existing AI competencies and assets throughout the Detroit Region, we can enable and expand a diverse presence of mobility industry subsectors and create a future-proofed economy.