Investing in artificial intelligence is one thing. Making sure it delivers results across dealership operations is another, particularly when existing systems cannot easily share information.
That challenge was highlighted in a recent article from Cox Automotive, which examined a discussion among automotive and technology executives at a U.S. industry event. Jeff Rachor, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Automotive, emphasized that businesses need to establish what they expect AI investments to accomplish.
“It’s important that we don’t just have AI for AI’s sake… it’s about outcomes,” said Rachor.
He identified several considerations for broader implementation, including technology partners, governance, compatibility between systems and return on investment.
The discussion also addressed the role of employees as AI becomes more integrated into business operations. Rachor said the objective should be to strengthen their capabilities rather than replace them.
“We don’t want to eliminate employees. We want to augment their capabilities.”
Another concern is whether businesses have the information infrastructure needed to support increasingly sophisticated AI applications.
Marianne Johnson, Chief Product Officer at Cox Automotive, warned that disconnected information could undermine the technology’s effectiveness.
“Disconnected data just automates the wrong answer faster,” said Johnson.
Meanwhile, Oliver Parker, vice president of Global Generative AI Go-to-Market at Google Cloud, discussed the development of agentic AI, which can connect information with actions across different systems.
For dealerships considering additional AI investments, the discussion points to questions about how new applications will interact with existing technology, support employees and produce measurable improvements.
