(VIDEO) Former BMW designer predicts how AI will change car design, showing what we will gain and what we will lose

Artificial intelligence has seen a huge leap in recent months, from the implementation of interfaces that can chat text and be asked to write entire essays, to interfaces that can edit or create graphics based on simple written requests. All these systems have brought us to the stage where we understand that in the very near future many creative activities could experience major changes, but what these artificial intelligence systems have started to create is truly impressive. Former BMW designer Frank Stephenson, who created the shapes of models such as the first-generation BMW X5 E53 and also a McLaren designer for the past decade, has released a video in which he takes a deep look at how things could change radically in the near future car design, which means that artificial intelligence, also indicating what it thinks we will win, what we will lose.

First, the design process will be greatly simplified, with several phases of experimental sketches being able to be passed more quickly with the help of artificial intelligence, asking it to draw the ideas that come to the team's mind. In addition to that, often the essential part of the design, with basic proportions and shapes, could be suggested by AI, as it already proves to be many times more inspired than those proposed by human designers. If the designers had the starting point already generated, they could focus on the small details more.

They could more easily explore new segments in which they are not present. What would a McLaren SUV look like? What would a Land Rover sedan look like? What would a Lamborghini motorcycle look like? Everything would be possible, and the curious results given by AI could stimulate the variety of models and we would have new products from many brands, faster and braver.

AI skills could also be transferred to specific components, such as drawing a new steering wheel, or new rims, or many other aspects, which would give originality to the car.

But, of course, we could lose something. For example, cars could become more uniform over time if they are all generated by AI. Today, if we ask an AI system to generate a McLaren SUV for us, it will take inspiration from the current human-drawn McLaren shapes. In 20 years, the system will have to draw on other AI-generated models until the tuning flattens out, Stephenson says.

Also, the number of designers in the automotive world could be considerably reduced, to give up costs and to explore more the non-conformist ideas that could initially come from AI. The mastery of sketching ideas with a pencil could also be lost, or if designers skip these stages by shouting the ideas they have to the AI, at some point there will be no more people who can translate them into a sketch of this idea.

And there could be more consequences and changes, which we cannot even fully intuit now. But it seems that major changes are inevitable and could happen sooner than most of us are ready to estimate.

Photo: How a Bugatti truck would look, in the vision of artificial intelligence

See the analysis of the former BMW designer in the video below.