Artificial intelligence is moving from a field of innovation to standard practice. It accelerates development processes, improves production quality and makes existing knowledge available at any time. For OEMs and suppliers, the decisive question is therefore no longer whether AI is used, but how consistently it is integrated into their own value creation.
As software, electrification and connected vehicles become more complex, the volume of available data is also growing rapidly. The challenge is no longer to collect data, but to master it and use it meaningfully. Artificial intelligence is thus becoming the key to turning data into robust decisions and genuine competitive advantage.
Development Now Begins in the Virtual World
Development cycles for new vehicles are becoming ever shorter. At the same time, requirements for software, driver assistance systems and the Software Defined Vehicle continue to increase.
Artificial intelligence is shifting more development steps into the virtual world. Simulations, software tests and data analyses are performed automatically and deliver robust results in the shortest possible time. Physical prototypes remain indispensable – but they are created later and much more selectively. This gives development engineers more freedom to focus on core innovation work.
The Factory Becomes a Learning System
Production is also changing fundamentally. Modern manufacturing systems continuously generate data on machines, processes and product quality. Artificial intelligence is what turns this data into usable knowledge. It identifies patterns, correlations and the smallest deviations that humans could scarcely detect at this speed.
Predictive maintenance detects the smallest irregularities before they develop into disruptions. Quality deviations are identified at an early stage, and production processes are first optimised virtually using digital twins. The factory no longer merely reacts to errors – it continuously learns from its own data and improves with every production cycle.
Knowledge Becomes a Competitive Advantage
Artificial intelligence is also changing collaboration between OEMs and suppliers. Development processes are becoming more closely interconnected, decisions are being made faster, and knowledge is available where it is needed.
For the first time, information from development, production and service can be intelligently connected. Experience-based knowledge is retained within the company, new employees gain faster access to complex interrelationships, and project teams make better-informed decisions. Companies that make this knowledge available faster than their competitors do not merely develop more efficiently – they also achieve greater success.
Those Who Learn Faster Win
Artificial intelligence does not replace people. It supports them in making better decisions and understanding complex relationships more quickly. This is precisely where its greatest value for the automotive industry lies.
AI will therefore be one of the defining topics at the International Suppliers Fair (IZB) 2026. Here, OEMs, suppliers and technology companies will discuss how development, production and collaboration can be redesigned with the help of artificial intelligence – and which solutions will prevail in practice.
Road to IZB 2026
With its editorial series “Road to IZB 2026” on OEM&Lieferant, Wolfsburg AG, the organiser of IZB, tracks the key developments in the international automotive and supplier industry in the run-up to the next International Suppliers Fair in Wolfsburg.
At IZB from 27 to 29 October 2026, these topics will not only be discussed but taken forward in collaboration with leading players from across the international automotive industry. Once again, Wolfsburg will become a meeting point for manufacturers, suppliers, technology companies, start-ups and research institutions – and a place where new ideas, partnerships and solutions for tomorrow’s mobility take shape.
The focus is on future technologies, market trends, and the people, companies and innovations shaping the industry’s transformation.
For more information about IZB 2026 and opportunities to participate, visit: www.izb-online.com
Text/Foto: Wolfsburg AG / IZB (v.i.S.d.P.)
