Innovation Review on the AI Defined Vehicle

This month the Autotech Council invites you to join our meeting to discuss the advancement of AI in the automotive industry: Generative AI, Agentic AI, customer support, in-car assistants. We’ll cover all non-self-driving use cases of AI, and bring the startups making waves.

Generative AI has firmly arrived, and agentic AI is fundamentally rewriting the playbook for Silicon Valley and the wider global automotive sector. While the pursuit of full autonomy remains a central pillar of the industry - one deserving of its own dedicated spotlight later in 2026 - this meeting will explicitly zero in on the massive wave of AI innovation transforming every other aspect of the automotive lifecycle. From the "Software Defined Vehicle," we are rapidly evolving toward the "AI Defined Vehicle." In the cockpit, the design studio, and the factory floor, we are moving beyond reactive and limited memory AI to systems capable of reasoning, planning, and executing complex tasks on our behalf.

This shift is backed by massive capital and adoption. In generative and agentic AI, a recent report by McKinsey says deployment has surged, moving from pilot projects to practical applications where they don't just generate text, but actively collaborate and adapt to workflows.

Our meeting is designed to cut through the noise of the AI hype cycle and focus on the shovel-ready applications that are transforming the automotive value chain right now. Our guest startups are ready to deploy!

Exploring how these technologies are reshaping the industry, focusing specifically on the non-self-driving applications of AI (we’ll address self-drive at a separate meeting) we are looking ahead to a future where the car is not just a mode of transport, but an intelligent partner.

Innovation in this segment will be highlighted on this agenda, including:

• AI for the in-car voice assistant (moving from command-response to proactive agents)
• AI for coding automotive software (the rise of Software 2.0)
• AI for sales and retail (hyper-personalized buyer journeys)
• AI for customer support (automated, empathetic resolution at scale. Avail in-car)
• AI in vehicle design (generative prototyping and materials science)

• AI in manufacturing (predictive maintenance and visual inspection)
• Digital twins (simulating infinite edge cases)
• Autonomous agents for service scheduling and fleet management
• AI-driven supply chain optimization and resilience
• Edge AI

The agenda will feature a series of brief, high-impact presentations from a curated selection of innovators, startups, and scale-ups. These are the founders and engineering teams who are not waiting for permission to build the future; they are deploying solutions that leverage the latest in task-focused Large Language Models (LLMs) and Small Language Models (SLMs) trained on datasets to solve specific, high-value automotive problems.

This meeting is an essential stop for anyone looking to understand the "ground truth" of AI in automotive. It is useful for learning about the latest developments, but it is especially important for connecting with the founders and leaders of the startups that are bringing the next generation of solutions to market. Whether you are looking for your next technology partner, investment opportunity, or just trying to keep your roadmap aligned with reality, this is where you need to be.

Join us in Silicon Valley, as we look under the hood of the auto AI revolution.

Meeting Format

Our public meetings are open to onsite and online attendee and start with an industry overview followed by an expert panel, and then tech demos and startup pitches. The 4-hour agenda also includes 3 networking breaks and lunch for in-person attendees.

Attendees leave our meetings having learned about the state of innovation, discovered many, game-changing startups, reviewed new technologies, and met industry colleagues who are also moving the needle in vehicle connectivity. Plus, for our onsite attendees, a handful of business cards and interesting lunch conversations.

Introduce your technology or company to OEMs, Tier1s, CVCs and tech scouts. Apply to speak by the deadline or purchase a spot if available.

In-room demo/meeting tables are available to rent for companies with relevant product or service to share during 3 networking breaks.

Relevant thought leaders, technology experts, and market analysts are welcome to apply here for a keynote, analyst or panel positions.

A company with a strong value proposition in this topic, may sponsor a speaker, a demo, or a break. Sponsorship is exclusive. Details here.

Fees

• ATTENDEE REGISTRATION (ONSITE or ONLINE): $200
  No fee for Autotech Council members

OPTIONS & UPGRADES

• TECHNOLOGY PITCH (ONSITE or ONLINE): $250
  5-minute on-agenda pitch to introduce a relevant technology, company, or product - subject to approval.

• DEMO/MEETING TABLE (ONSITE ONLY): $500
  Rent an in-room meeting table to show a demo, followup on your pitch, or connect with attendees during networking breaks and over lunch. Tables are 30” round, 42" tall and include black linen, power, Wi-Fi, and flagged with your logo.

Venue

Interested in hosting future meetings in 2026?  Host requirements include meeting facilities for 50-100 executives, catering, AV and tech support, and hosts benefit in many ways when they welcome mobility executives to their offices and share their industry leadership. Request to Host

Remote Access:  Our virtual meeting room is available to those who cannot attend in person. To join remotely, choose the "Online" ticket when you register.