Expectations that artificial intelligence will soon infiltrate every aspect of modern life are commonplace right now, but that world-changing technology has entered the automotive world ahead of schedule. From voice recognition to satellite navigation, rare forms of AI have become part of the driving experience over the past decade. Those functions are programmed responses to commands or other human input. Such systems understand commands and do as instructed. In this evolving era AI thinks and seeks to understand, inform, predict and improve human performance.
To that end, the AI embedded in the cars of 2026 is developing faster than it can be used, encouraging different ideas of where it is headed and how the technology can be used. From the automaker's perspective, McLaren's production of high-performance supercars and the management of the world's most competitive Formula 1 racing team require the incorporation of cutting-edge AI capabilities. According to Christoph Meyer, the automaker's chief executive officer, the story of McLaren's AI is based on unprecedented efficiency in the design and engineering department, which they call 'AI advanced engineering.' “Regarding our use of AI in engineering and design, McLaren Automotive is revolutionizing its future product development by embedding true end-to-end agent AI throughout the engineering lifecycle,” he told the Observer.
For non-employees, the agent AI can follow detailed instructions without supervision, set its own goals, create detailed plans and perform any related tasks using its chosen external tools or systems. “McLaren uses a 'perfect fit' AI stack to deliver rapid speed and scale throughout the design and engineering process,” added Meyer. “The team can now explore more design space, run complex tests and simulations at incredible speeds, tune all components with greater precision and reduce manual, repetitive tasks by using active engineering agents.”
Meyer emphasizes that the resulting environment allows teams to focus on high-value design and engineering thinking, while leaving process-level tasks to AI.
Sam Abuelsamid is vice president of market research for telemetry firm Transportation and Mobility Research and Advisory Practice. Focusing on assisted and automated driving and mobility services, he believes that the biggest impact of AI in the near future will be the further removal of humans from the driving process: “The biggest consumer-facing AI system is Advanced Driver Assisted Systems—especially the latest hands-free systems like Super Cruise (from General Motors). Automaker AD is still very new, it's really changed to its whole ADS. It's based on AI models. Mercedes Benz uses Alpamayo at the end of AI ADAS starting with the new CLA and Jaguar Land Rover has also announced plans to release a next-generation ADAS based on the Wave AI system in the next few years.
Abuelsamid predicts that the market will see increased use of AI in areas such as powertrain and chassis control, and “the AI model may control aspects such as vehicle control and battery charging and output to improve mileage efficiency. For that to work, AI models need to work in real time in the car rather than in the cloud.”
According to Dr. Liucheng Guo, chief technology officer and co-founder of TGO, a London-based company that specializes in automotive interior sensing technology, today's AI is expanding by understanding the real-time situation of the driver, passengers and the environment of the vehicle. “That includes driver assistance, human-on-board monitoring, safety intervention, predictive maintenance and dynamic human-machine interaction,” Guo told the Observer. “We see a huge opportunity in pressure mapping and sensing integrated with materials. A seat, an armrest, a steering wheel or an interior can be a smart layer for sensing.”
As an example, Guo explained that a camera can be used during development to train an AI model to understand the pose, body position and intent of the user—but a production car doesn't need to rely on a camera. “The system can determine posture and seating position from pressure and touch data alone. That creates a privacy-preserving, non-invasive way for the car to understand what's going on inside the cabin.”
Guo rejected the idea that AI thinks like a human mind, but insists that it can react more quickly to security-related situations, process more data or take on tasks that humans cannot do consistently or do not want to do repeatedly. “A useful AI in a car doesn't want to imitate a human,” he said. “The value of it is to see signs that people might miss, such as a change in posture, an unfastened child seat, an out-of-seat passenger, a driver who shifts weight before taking control or someone who is wobbly or uncomfortable.”
Guo doesn't see the person being replaced by a car that thinks about him, but instead supports the user in a quiet nature: “The passenger should just sit down, walk by himself, and the car should be straight enough to adapt to the situation. This is very important for an age-friendly and accessibility-oriented design where the best interface may be completely invisible for purpose-conscious, safety-conscious and personal cabin.”
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