Hertz is using an AI-scanning system to find any dings on newly-returned rental cars:
> the system captures 1000s of high-res images when car enters and exits lot
> generates a damage report and sends to a human for review
> machine maker UVeye says it can “detect 5x more damage than manual checks” and “6x higher total value of damage captured”
The machine is currently at airports in Atlanta, Charlotte, Phoenix, Tampa and Houston.
While Hertz says only 3% of cars scanned by UVeye have had “billable damage”, customers that have been hit are really annoyed.
Some of the “damage” is minuscule based on photos provided.
Here is the kick in the nuts: if you get charged for repairs based on AI scan, the cost of UVeye usage is bundled into the fee.
I get the idea of standardizing rental damage reports, but having dealt with the byzantine world of car rental damages…this is guaranteed to be one the most annoying uses of AI in corporate America.
This total nickel and diming seems like somethign cooked up by McKinsey.
Neither Enterprise or Avis has jumped onto the trend and both still rely on “human led” analysis.
