A recent report by automotive retail solutions provider Reynolds and Reynolds shows that dealerships and automotive groups are increasingly optimistic about artificial intelligence use in auto retail. In a survey of  personnel from across all dealership departments a Reynolds survey found they're using AI to streamline operations, improve customer communications and boost overall efficiency. 

Fifty-seven percent of dealership personnel reported using AI in some capacity as part of their jobs. The most common uses include customer communications, scheduling, reporting, marketing content, and handling online leads. Executives and dealer principals reported the highest usage at 70%, followed by fixed operations at 57%. 

“You see AI everywhere; everyone is moving towards it," one respondent said. "To keep up with technology, I think everyone should be able to use AI to be more productive. I am always working with the [chief financial officer] on how we can make things faster.” 

Speed and efficiency are two of the biggest benefits dealerships reported seeing, in addition to process automation and improved data analysis and reporting. Fifty-two percent of respondents described their experiences with AI as extremely positive, and 90% expressed confidence in their ability to learn and integrate new technologies. 

Reynolds predicts that the “next frontier is a unified AI data layer, enabling AI tools to operate more autonomously by having access to trusted, comprehensive datasets.”