Generative AI in the Tyre and Manufacturing Industry

Generative AI is one of the most transformative technologies in recent years. From individuals using Generative AI for creative purposes to organisations looking to streamline their operations, it certainly poses a great deal of benefits to those who utilise it.

Yet, the manufacturing sector seems to be the odd one out,? lagging slightly behind other industries in the adoption of Generative AI. While embracing new technologies may be daunting, the hesitant sentiment is not something shared at Apollo Tyres. Instead, with technology and digitalisation as part of our core pillars, we believe that it's a vital element for us to be able to innovate constantly and stay at the forefront of the industry. Below, I delve into the ways in which Generative AI is leveraged across Apollo Tyres’ entire value chain, as well as the benefits that it brings to our company.

Key Use Cases

Generative AI serves many purposes. We deploy it across our business functions in different ways to solve various business objectives.

As a manufacturing company, we use Generative AI to efficiently look at machine data and reason with it to get to the root cause analysis. In turn, this allows AI to democratise the interpretation of data all the way to the shop floors.

We are also using Generative AI in our R&D. While it is being used to assist in the creation of new product designs, it is not the only purpose that it serves in R&D. We primarily use the tool in R&D to drive semantic search, which is a data searching technique that uses the intent and contextual meaning behind a search query to deliver more accurate and relevant results. Such methods allow our R&D experts to look at established research papers, patents, periodicals, journals, and regulatory reports. As a result, they are able to quickly and more efficiently draw on information and insights that can then be plugged into the development of new initiatives.

Meanwhile, Generative AI has also proved beneficial in our legal departments, particularly by making our legal contracting system more intelligent and objective-oriented. An example of this is the automation in proofreading legal documents, which ensures that the processes are time-efficient and at a lower risk of errors.

However, Generative AI is most popularly known for developing various forms of content, such as videos, which we also implement at Apollo Tyres. Other use cases include synthetic data generation, document assistance, and service assistance.

These are all ways in which Generative AI is deployed and up and running at Apollo Tyres, although it does not end there. We also have various projects that are still in their proof of concept (POC) stage, a process whereby we gather evidence to support the feasibility of a project.

Ethical Governance Frameworks

Although Apollo Tyres is confident in the benefits that Generative AI brings to us, we do understand the wider industry's hesitation. With any new technology, there is always uncertainty surrounding it, as it poses certain risks to an organisation and individual. Examples of these risks could be privacy concerns surrounding the propriety of data, bias that Generative AI presents, and potential copyright infringement issues.

?We are not exempt from such concerns. To safeguard our company from these risks, we have developed an extensive framework to govern our use of such technologies. These frameworks allow us to facilitate a quick turnaround of innovation without compromising our ethics or organisational policies, even when we’re bringing in external partners or startups that help familiarise us with these kinds of technologies.

?As our projects continue to evolve and we develop more POCs, our AI ethical governance frameworks will similarly mature.

Looking Ahead

Our journey with AI, and Generative AI, in particular, is just beginning. As we look toward the future, we are committed to expanding our AI capabilities across the entire business. By doing so, we are not only enhancing our operations but also setting the stage for a future where AI plays a central role in our success.

?Collaboration is key to our strategy. We believe in the power of open innovation and are actively seeking partnerships with startups and technology providers who can help us solve specific challenges. By working together, we can accelerate our progress toward our ambitious goals for 2026.

?As we continue to explore the vast possibilities of AI, we remain focused on one goal: to make Apollo Tyres smarter and safer. The journey is ongoing, and we invite all innovators and partners to join us in this endeavour. Together, we can unlock the full potential of AI and take the automotive industry to new heights.