As artificial intelligence becomes more deeply integrated into vehicle development, the question is no longer simply what AI can do, but whether the surrounding technical environment is structured enough for its results to be used reliably. This was a central theme of a roundtable on “Standardization in the age of AI” held during Vehicle Tech Week Europe in Stuttgart.
The discussion, hosted by ASAM, brought together representatives from vehicle manufacturers, suppliers, software companies and autonomous-driving firms. One important observation was that AI depends on access to well-structured and meaningful data. If suppliers use different formats and interfaces, an AI system may have difficulty combining information or producing results that can be consistently interpreted.
ASAM framed the challenge across three layers: the consumption layer, where users interact with AI through tools such as chat interfaces and agents; the interface layer, covering formats, APIs and query languages; and the underlying data layer. Keeping clear contracts between these layers could become increasingly important as AI agents gain greater autonomy.
Standardization is particularly relevant when AI is used across complex supply chains. Consolidated input data and standardized outputs could allow AI tools to work more effectively across different suppliers and development environments. At the same time, participants stressed that human expertise remains essential for verifying and validating AI-generated results.
Another challenge is traceability. If an AI system produces a recommendation or decision, developers need to understand how it relates to the underlying inputs. This becomes more difficult with large language models, whose responses can vary depending on the context and interaction history.
The discussion suggests that standards will not necessarily constrain automotive AI innovation. Instead, they could provide the common interfaces and data structures needed for different systems to work together. For increasingly software-defined vehicles, interoperability may ultimately be as important as the intelligence of the individual AI models.
IGGULDEN, Charlotte. Vehicle Tech Week: ‘Standardization in the age of AI’ roundtable highlights risks and opportunities. Autonomous Vehicle International [online]. 8 July 2026 [cited 2026-09-10]. Available from:
https://www.autonomousvehicleinternational.com/news/expo/vehicle-tech-week-standardization-in-the-age-of-ai-roundtable-highlights-risks-and-opportunities.html
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