Abstract
Automotive AI has reached a turning point. Voice assistants and AI-powered features are now standard - yet they still behave like tools, not partners. They execute commands, but rarely understand goals.
This keynote explores the evolution of in-car AI from rule-based systems to LLM-powered agents, and finally to agentic AI - autonomous systems that reason across context, anticipate needs, and coordinate actions. Based on real automotive development experience, the talk explains what distinguishes “agents we have today” from “agentic systems we are building next”.
Special attention is given to why automotive is a unique environment: safety constraints, multimodal input, real-time decision-making, and user trust. The keynote outlines a practical roadmap for moving from reactive assistants to proactive driving companions - without compromising safety or control.
Topics To Be Covered
From assistants to agentic systems
How agentic reasoning works
Automotive-specific AI constraints
Proactive in-car intelligence design
Safety-first autonomy roadmap
Who Is This For?
Automotive AI leaders
In-vehicle UX designers
Product & platform owners
AI architects
Innovation strategists
Meet Your Instructor
Head of Speech Technology #HeyMercedes, Mercedes-Benz
Alexander Schmitt has over 15 years of experience in Voice Assistants, Voice AI research, and product development. He began his career at the University of Ulm, joining Germany’s first spoken dialog system research lab in 2007, where he pursued a PhD on AI-driven Speech Dialog Systems in collaboration with New York-based SpeechCycle Inc.
In 2012, Alex joined Mercedes-Benz, contributing to research, advanced engineering, and product development for next-generation in-car voice assistants and emotion AI. A prolific author, Alex has published over 60 international papers in voice assistant-related fields. He currently leads the development of the next-gen #HeyMercedes Voice Assistant, working with a talented team of software developers, data scientists, and product owners to push the boundaries of conversational AI.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Time & Place
Tue, March 24
16:15 - 17:45
Salon Tiergarten
Classroom Seating
Max. Capacity: 32 Seats
Secure your seat – registration required.
Notes
Agenda for this session:
Getting Settled - 5 mins
Information Session - 40 mins
Break - 5 min
Individual / Group Exercise - 20 min
Q&A/Discussion - 20 min
Reflection - 5 min
Prerequisits:
No specific technical skills required
Bring Your Own Laptop
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