Toyota Is Deploying AI To Design Cars

Engineers and designers can upload sketches to the system, then ask it to optimise them based on different engineering constraints using text-based prompts. Avinash Balachandran, director of the Toyota Research Institute's (TRI) Human Interactive Driving division, said that while generative AI tools are frequently used as sources of design inspiration, they are unable to handle the intricate engineering and safety considerations that go into actual car design.

"This technique combines Toyota’s traditional engineering strengths with the state-of-the-art capabilities of modern generative AI."

Designers can enter commands like "show me futuristic sleek variations of my design while minimizing drag" and get several iterations in a fraction of the amount of time it would usually take to apply "optimization theory." "Reducing drag is critical for improving the aerodynamics of BEVs to maximize their range," said Takero Kato, Toyota's battery electric vehicle factory president. Almost any performance metric or restriction, including the dimensions of the chassis and cabin, can be set for optimisation. The feedback is incorporated by designers into the final vehicle shape.

"TRI is harnessing the creative power of AI to amplify automobile designers and engineers," said Charlne Wu, senior director of TRI’s Human-Centered AI Division.
BMW also recently acknowledged that it is experimenting with the idea of using artificial intelligence to create automobile designs. Although the Bavarian company is still just testing the waters, it claims AI will soon be able to handle a variety of design tasks for upcoming production vehicles. Again, have no fear; BMW will never completely delegate control of the design process to AI.