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A.I. ain’t A.I. in automotive. It is B.S.

Alex Snyder
Posted onOct 10, 2023 at 3:28 PM
Updated onUpdated on Oct 10, 2023 at 11:28 AM
If I get another newsletter about how some company is using A.I. (Artificial Intelligence) to solve a problem for a car dealer I’ll…. continue to hit the spam button.



But I think this image sums up what it really is:

AIisIfthenStatements.jpg

Mystery solved! And you didn’t even need a Scooby Snack.
Alex Snyder
Who knew an argument with Jeff Kershner, in 2005, would lead to Alex becoming a partner with him on DealerRefresh. Where will the next argument take ...
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John.H

John.H

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  • #2
    Alex Snyder said:
    If I get another newsletter about how some company is using A.I. (Artificial Intelligence) to solve a problem for a car dealer I'll.... continue to hit the spam button.

    But I think this image sums up what it really is:

    View attachment 4177

    Mystery solved! And you didn't even need a Scooby Snack.
    Click to expand...

    Same. I remember a company named Pr**** Co***** reached out to me and told me that they could help my dealers through an intuitive artificial intelligence technology, utilizing the Watson AI.

    Asked them whether they owned their AI or not, and they said that they did.

    Turns out they didn't. They were beginner Media Buyers who piggybacked off Facebook's AI, and Google's AI.

    Long story short, they used Facebook's predictive audience building tools and tracking pixel to build custom audiences, USING THE FACEBOOK PLATFORM. Similar story with Google.

    Many vendors automate their processes of sales generation for dealers... and I think that's the first issue in this industry. Some things require human intervention, just so happens that Automotive Marketing is one of those things.

    Who knew? :rofl:
     
    Jason@nabthat

    Jason@nabthat

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  • #5
    I think we need to first start off with what the exact definition of AI

    "the theory and development of computer systems able to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, and translation between languages."

    I think there are some companies out there that are using AI as defined above. We have similar AI built into some of our products and platforms that remove the human intelligence and decision-making process.

    I do agree @Alex Snyder that companies use the "AI" term loosely and have no real technology stack behind their platforms.
     
    ryan.leslie

    ryan.leslie

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  • #6
    While an "if/then function" is technically AI, it certainly isn't the sexy kind of AI that a lot of vendors are hoping dealers associate with the term. That's a little like Rosie from the Jetsons showing up in one of those saucy scenes from Westworld. ;)

    Dealers, ask the vendor what kind of AI they are employing. They should be able to tell you. Machine Learning, Machine Vision, Image Classification, Predictive Analytics... that's the "cool stuff." If you hear "Encoded Knowledge" or "Expert Systems" think "automation following a prescribed decision tree."

    (edit) I'm not taking anything away from these forms of AI as a business process efficiency by any means. We do own our technology, employ extremely well-credentialed data scientists, and are working on prescriptive solutions, and yet, I outsource our website chat tool to a company that does just what has been described here so that I don't have to respond to every inbound demo request. The automation, "encoded knowledge AI," follows a predetermined path to qualify and present a calendar link to schedule, and it works great.
     
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    Alexander Lau

    Alexander Lau

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  • #9
    john.quinn said:
    I absolutely applaud the new buzzword A.I.!!!

    It means that people will stop abusing last year's bastard buzzword: Digital Retailing!

    Loooong Live A.I!

    (Until next year's buzzword hits...)

    :lol:
    Click to expand...
    When was "attribution" the buzzword?

    2019: A.I.
    2018: Digital Retailing
    2017: Attribution

    Look right?
     
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    john.quinn

    john.quinn

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  • #10
    Alexander Lau said:
    When was "attribution" the buzzword?

    2019: A.I.
    2018: Digital Retailing
    2017: Attribution

    Look right?
    Click to expand...

    Almost... every 5 years or so, product managers run out of ideas and decide to take another stab at attribution. I would continue your timeline:

    2019: A.I.
    2018: Digital Retailing
    2017: Attribution
    2012: Attribution
    2007: Attribution
    2002: Attribution
    1997: Attribution

    Look for attribution's next round of start-ups coming to an NADA near you in 2022, featuring, of course, A.I. :tiphat:
     
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