90 percent of the artificial intelligence – or AI – that exists today is crap, says Mercedes' chief designer. Yet he believes his successor will be a computer.
Mercedes' chief designer of artificial intelligence – or AI – currently thinks some of what exists is crap. Still, he believes he will be replaced by a computer sooner or later.
Gordon Wagener, who started at Mercedes Benz in 1997 and now heads the company's design department, recognizes that artificial intelligence will reshape the way cars are designed.
"My successor will be a machine and will be much cheaper," he said in an interview with ABC News .
Wagener expects that the majority of design work will be done by AI within the next ten years, making traditional designers redundant.
The question of whether computers can design cars as beautifully as humans can is perhaps the most important question in the entire debate.
Critics have pointed out that the design of certain electric cars, especially from brands like Jaguar, seems to bear the hallmarks of artificial intelligence. The most critical ones even call Jaguar's attempts to reinvent itself nothing less than artificial. Also when it comes to the design.
Mercedes is working to develop new models that will appeal to a wider audience. The new EQS is an example of a car that Mercedes hopes will appeal to people other than the 'regular' S-Class customer.
Wagener believes that AI currently produces designs that lack quality, but he acknowledges that the technology is constantly evolving, just as he predicts that AI will be unavoidable in the future.
He also acknowledges that artificial intelligence will change the way the automotive industry operates. "AI will drastically change the way cars are designed.
"I think that in ten years AI will be designing most of a car, and that will make designers unnecessary. My successor will be a machine that will be much cheaper to operate than what I get paid," says Gordon Wagener.
Although Wagener predicts that cars in the future will function as "smart homes", he believes that cars – at least for the foreseeable future – will still be something that can be driven in the usual way. That is, with a steering wheel and pedals.
List of Danish car designers
Henrik Fisker – Known for designing the BMW Z8 , Aston Martin DB9 , Fisker Karma and later the Fisker Ocean . Fisker has an international career and is one of the most famous Danish car designers.
Jan Wilsgaard – Born in the US to Danish parents but raised in Denmark, he was chief designer at Volvo for many years and was behind the Volvo Amazon , Volvo 140 series and Volvo 240 series , which became iconic models for the brand.
Anders Warming – Has worked as chief designer at Mini and BMW. He was responsible for designs such as the Mini Cooper (F56) , BMW Z4 (E89) and BMW's Vision concept cars.
Jens Manske – Has had a great career at the Volkswagen Group, where he worked on models such as the VW Golf , VW Passat and was involved in Audi design.
Torsten Valeur – Designed the Zenvo ST1 , Denmark's first real supercar, which combines Scandinavian minimalism with raw power.
Christian Brandt – Has worked for various car brands, including SAAB, and contributed to designs within the premium and sports segments.
