WAF Facilitates Industry Leaders to Co-Create the Win-Win Future of AI at Auto & Mobility

New Delhi: World Auto Forum successfully organised the 7th WAFit! Summit – AI at Automotive in association with India Future Foundation – a leading think tank on Cybersecurity and Ethical AI.

The program commenced with a tribute followed by a two-minute silence in honour of Deepangshu Dev Sarmah, Founding Editor, Mobility Outlook, whose untimely passing came as a shock to all. The program was dedicated to him.

The 7th WAFit! Summit – AI at Auto was spread across 3 panel discussions and 4 keynote sessions powered by 20+ Top Auto & Tech Leaders and Policy Makers.

Anuj Guglani, Founder & CEO, World Auto Forum said, “AI can be a good servant but a bad master. We need ethical AI and sound cybersecurity frameworks before most things around us get AI enabled and security & privacy disabled! Let’s co-create a win-win future powered by this latest tech at Auto and Mobility!”

Gaurav Gupta, Deputy Managing Director, MG Motor India stated, “We at MG have been pioneers in launching Cars with AI Inside. It’s heartening to see WAF lead the industry dialogue on AI at Auto & Mobility. Empowering people and communities with tech innovations for safety and exciting experiences echoes with our brand’s core values.”

Tanuj Pugalia, Chairman, Gallops Motors stated, “We at Gallops, have always been supportive in ensuring safety of data, customers and vehicles by harnessing these latest tech innovations. We feel a deep connection with these innovations and innovators of the Auto and mobility ecosystem via WAF.”

The First WAFit! Power Panel spoke about and discussed the topic – ‘AI in Action at Automotive Manufacturing’ and was powered by the following Industry leaders:

1. Vijay Sethi – Chairman of Mentorkart & Crafsol

2. Hilal Khan – Vice President & Operating Head of IT at Honda Cars India

3. Ajay Mittal – Head of Analytics & Digital at Volvo Eicher CV

4. Anuj Guglani – Founder & CEO of WAF Group

The paramount importance of data quality and its foundational role were discussed, Along with the need to leverage vast pools of data to identify potential defects, streamline turnaround times, and ensure task completion efficiency. The societal shift towards 5.0, an era that prioritises the human dimension within the 4.0 paradigm were deliberated for action.

Critical aspects of availability, efficiency, and performance in automotive design were discussed. Safety emerged as another focal point, with AI emerging as a potent tool in reducing accidents by 20-25% on the workshop floor and augmenting overall efficiency by over 10%.

The pride felt by workshop personnel, in adopting technology, rather than viewing it as a threat was also discussed.

MSMEs need to adopt AI and latest tech to actually secure their data and automate their manufacturing operations. These technologies act as a great leveller between them and the large corporations. Quality of data can be a challenge especially in smaller setups. Gold in, Platinum out, Garbage in, Super Garbage out!

In keeping with the WAF motto of Dialogue to Action, there was a demo of AI in action. The Power Panel discussions were recorded and the MOM of the discussion, immediately auto-generated, thus illustrating the efficacy of AI.

In his Keynote address, Ravi Rajendra, CEO of Qik Meeting, highlighted the immense potential of AI in redefining how we conduct offline and online meetings. Talking of the influence of AI in our lives, from autonomous vehicles to advanced traffic management systems, he envisioned a future with AI meetings powered by virtual avatars and devices to synergise and blend offline and online meetings.

Dr Amitabh Saran, Founder & CEO of Altigreen Propulsion Labs, in his keynote address emphasised the strategic importance of prioritising value over volume, underlining the fact that automobiles are swiftly evolving into a network of computers. Dr Saran pointed out that 400 million people rely on three-wheelers daily, revolutionising the landscape of sustainable transportation. He also highlighted how the use of AI can create warning alerts and the need to improve driver behaviour for better efficiency of vehicle performance.

In his keynote speech, Arun Goel, VP and Advisor at Subros Technical Centre, and Vice Chair Technical SAENIS spoke about the crucial role of SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) as a bridge between academia and the industry. SAE offers certificate courses to students through their ‘Learner to Leadership’ program, aimed at enhancing employability and leadership skills.

The WAFit! Power Panel 2 delved into the impact of Artificial Intelligence on the automotive retail landscape and was powered by the following speakers:

1. Yogender Verma – CEO of Carzonrent

2. Rajeev Taneja – CIO & Operating Head, IT at Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India

3. Commander (Veteran) Aditya Varma, Indian Navy

4. Manish Panjwani – CTO of Shriram Automall,

5. Dilip Chenoy – Chairman, Bharat Web3 Association

6. Anuj Guglani – Founder & CEO of WAF Group

The transformative potential of AI in reshaping the relationship between car owners, service points, and manufacturers, emphasising the untapped depths of AI’s capabilities was highlighted.

The actual use case of price detection systems for vehicle’s visual inspections was discussed. The modalities of how AI streamlines pricing analysis based on taxation and geographical factors in the pre-owned vehicles market were also discussed.

The speakers discussed the symbiotic relationship between AI and human intervention, urging caution in handling data, leading to a seamless customer experience from the initial funnel to the showroom. The role of chatbots in efficient and engaging customer interactions with suggested gamification and simulators to engage potential buyers was also spoken about.

The panellists also spoke about AI’s potential in ensuring safety through alerts, accident notifications, and speed limit enforcement. The role of AI in enhancing user experience, improving customer service, and optimising car rental operations through heat maps and efficiency assessments also holds great potential.

Kanishk Gaur – Founder & CEO – India Future Foundation and Rakesh Maheshwari, Former Senior Director at MeitY, Government of India, teamed up for a keynote address. They mentioned that compliance with emerging data protection laws is imperative, with penalties for non-compliance being substantial. They stated that adherence to comprehensive due diligence in all online activities is vital for compliance with the forthcoming DPDP Act, ensuring data privacy and security. Balancing innovation with risk mitigation is key in this evolving cybersecurity landscape, they added.

WAFit! 2023 Power Panel 3, centred on the crucial theme of Ethical AI and Cybersecurity: Balancing Innovation and Risk and was powered by the following speakers:

1. Ramsunder Papineni, President of Vehere

2. Vikas Yadav, Head of IT & Digitization at Sonalika

3. Naresh Yadav, Head IT & SAP at Sunbeam Lightweighting

4. Manmeet Randhawa, Head at Strategic Alliances at India Future Foundation

5. Rakesh Maheshwari, Former Senior Director at MeitY, Government of India

6. Durgesh Gurnani, Senior Manager at Cognizant

The exponential growth of devices from 8.8 billion in 2016 to an anticipated 38.2 billion in 2026 was emphasised. The indispensable role of AI in efficiently processing the colossal volume of data, particularly in real-time threat analysis was discussed.

While AI is increasingly integrated into various processes, it is ultimately human discernment that determines which data points are prioritised.

Panellists discussed the need for diverse data sets in training AI models. Attention was drawn to the significance of rigorous data pre-processing measures to prevent data exposure and comprehensive security assessments at each implementation phase.

The program concluded with the Valedictory Ceremony where all WAF Annual partners, Exhibitors and associates, especially like Qik Digital and Chopra AV were felicitated.

Industry’s Top Cos are WAF Annual Partner:

Annual OEM Gold Partners

MG Motor India | Volkswagen India

Annual Gold Partners

Nippon Paint | Gallops Motors

Annual Partners

Pick My Car | Hass Ventures | Jaldi EV

World Auto Forum (WAF) is a Global Auto & Mobility Think Tank Platform – a place as relevant for Chairpersons and Top CXOs as it is for interns and trainees. Established in 2009, it now has community members across 125 Countries. WAF Auto News is the World’s No 1 in World Auto News.
WAF TV is its online broadcasting arm where one can watch hundreds of videos on the Auto & Mobility Industry. WAF also organises popular programs like WAFit!, IVASS , WAF Awards, and CXO Roundtables Discussions where top leaders of the industry take their Dialogue to Action!