Toronto, Ontario — Oct. 11, 2019 — We may never be able to fully rely on AI solutions in collision repair facilities, according to James Spears, the founder of Spears Consulting Group, and a former USAA executive.
During Guild 21’s most recent conference in its Inventing the Next 3 Years Of Collision Repair series, in which Spears was the guest speaker, the consultant gave caution towards using AI software as a crutch.
“I don’t believe, or rather I pray that we’ll never have 100 percent reliance on just AI,” said Spears. “I would hate to be a consumer in a world where someone just takes an image that reads ‘this is the damage on your car’ when we know that there are so many other systems that need to be recalibrated [in the repair process].”
Despite his words of caution, Spears said he is still fascinated by the use of AI in the industry. He himself works with AI software in his consulting group in an effort to reach a larger audience.
He commemorated the current use of AI in collision repair facilities, saying that it allows shops to get closer to customers. Spears reiterated that the software “helps us get in the right direction” during a repair, but still brought up the question: “How well would the consumer be protected if we completely let AI do estimates?”
Spears concluded, “every factor–newer materials, ADAS systems, sensors–would need to line up perfectly as to ensure we’re not putting someone’s life at risk, I hope we never get to that 100 percent [reliance].”
