Dive Brief:
- Mercedes-Benz Group AG is piloting the use of ChatGPT to streamline its production process, including quality management, the automaker announced earlier this month.
- The German automaker is partnering with Microsoft's AI platform to test the use of the technology to help with issues such as error identification and analysis in the manufacturing process.
- Following a successful pilot run, Mercedes-Benz plans to roll out ChatGPT in its manufacturing sites worldwide, according to Jörg Burzer, who is responsible for the production and supply chain management division and serves on the company’s board.
Dive Insight:
Mercedes-Benz is betting big on ChatGPT in both its manufacturing and vehicles themselves.
The company unveiled plans last month to integrate the technology into voice control in its vehicles through another partnership with Microsoft. The automaker rolled the feature out to 900,000 vehicles in the U.S. equipped with its MBUX entertainment system.
In its factories, ChatGPT's voice-based interface will allow employees without programming backgrounds to leverage data analysis tools and and evaluate process production data stored in Mercedes-Benz's digital ecosystem. The platform launched last year and connects the company's 30 global passenger car plants through a cloud-based system, allowing for real-time operations visibility.
By integrating ChatGPT into its platform, the company said it aims to help employees make strategic decisions regarding the production process faster. The technology shows data queries in a dialogue format with the chatbot, rather than through complex programming functions, making it easier to sift through information, and allowing daily production planning to be checked and adjusted if necessary.
"Through new digital tools, employees are further empowered to optimise production processes and quality management in a sustainable way," Burzer said in a statement.
Another automaker is also exploring applications of ChatGPT. Reuters reported in March that GM is exploring expanding its own partnership with Microsoft to bring the technology to customers as a voice assistant in cars, helping them access information often found in a user's manual.
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