In a recent showcase at Hyundai’s headquarters in Seoul, the OEM did a deep-dive into how it is harnessing digital technologies and AI across the company to improve operations, including key achievements and plans for the future. A major focus of this discussion was the benefits of AI in development, particularly Hyundai’s crash testing AI agent.
“AI is undoubtedly an important technology, but ultimately it is a tool that companies must utilize,” said Eunsook Jin, president and head of the ICT management division at Hyundai Motor Group. “What matters is not the technology itself, but how quickly an organization can understand new technologies, including AI, apply them to its work and business, and internalize them as a source of competitive advantage. Building on our ongoing digital transformation efforts, Hyundai Motor Group is expanding AI transformation through the integration of AI and other intelligent technologies.”
In 2022, the group deployed the JIRA, Dooray and Confluence platforms to standardize project management, decision-tracking and knowledge-sharing. These systems are said to have transformed how staff work together across the organization. Employees gained greater visibility into group-wide operations and key project progress, and work processes and outcomes could be systematically accumulated as organizational assets.
Microsoft 365 was also implemented, creating a unified cloud-based collaboration environment. R&D teams working on technologies such as autonomous driving and hydrogen had previously been unable to use external collaboration tools due to security regulations governing national core technologies. Now they were able to safely adopt SaaS solutions as relevant government authorities swiftly established guidelines for SaaS use. As a result, information and knowledge previously dispersed across the organization could be shared and accumulated within a single environment, while establishing a foundation for continuously securing digital assets that can be used by AI.
In parallel, Hyundai launched the Global One Data Pipeline, which standardized and connected data dispersed across research, production, quality and sales functions.
Information generated during development can be used in production and quality management, while data collected from sales operations can be reflected in product development and process improvement.
How AI is being applied in R&D
One of the examples highlighted at the event was the Crash Safety AI Assistant, which helps engineers search, compare and review relevant cases across accumulated crash test data and research materials. The system brings together crash test results, test images and engineering analysis data, enabling engineers to search, compare and review relevant cases.
In crash safety research, physical results are combined with simulation and historical case studies to identify vehicle safety improvement opportunities. Accessing and reusing accumulated data is an important part of this work. However, in the past, information was distributed across multiple systems or depended on individual engineering experience, making it difficult to quickly locate and use the relevant materials.
By connecting and organizing research information through AI, Hyundai has created an environment where engineers can move beyond simple document searches and explore structured case knowledge, including test conditions, vehicle structures, injury mechanisms and improvement measures.
As a result, the OEM has reported that the time spent identifying relevant cases and reviewing analysis materials has been reduced by approximately 90% compared with the previous workflow. The time saved can be devoted to higher-value activities such as interpreting results, improving vehicle designs and establishing testing strategies.
During the day, Hyundai also discussed the use of H Chat Pro, its adoption of artificial intelligence in manufacturing, how the technology is improving customer service and how it’s preparing for the era of physical AI.
The September edition of ATTI lands soon – look out for an interview and opinion piece with Dong Chul Park, a former Hyundai exec. Read the June edition now
This year’s edition of Crash Test Technology International, sister title to ATTI, is due to land in late September. Read the 2025 issue now
In related news, Junghyun Kwon has been appointed executive VP and head of the Autonomous Driving Development Center at Hyundai
