The prestigious British carmaker Aston Martin applies business software with integrated artificial intelligence to enhance productivity. But the company also closely monitors the risks associated with AI. The overarching goal is to increase performance and efficiency while preserving the handcrafted excellence that defines the brand. DirectIndustry spoke with Steve O’Connor, Director of IT at Aston Martin to know more about their strategy.
The British automaker Aston Martin is synonymous with luxury, customization and cars that not only let the hearts of James Bond supporters beat faster. For a couple of years, the company has been taking a distinctly modern approach to digital transformation: leveraging artificial intelligence not as a buzzword, but as a tool to handle large data, enhance productivity and strengthen operations.
For Steve O’Connor, Director of IT at Aston Martin, the key lies in balance.
“I’ve got huge reservations about AI overall,” he admits. “It’s not a one size fits all. It’s not going to fix everything in the world. I think the biggest obstacle, first of all, is the understanding of what it can and cannot do.”
Delivering Measurable Value
O’Connor’s approach is clear: AI should solve real business problems. This is why almost five years ago the company started working with cloud-based ERP by Infor that nowadays integrates AI agents into its software solutions.
Areas of application within Aston Martin include for example accounting and supply chain management.
“For us, it has to be either productivity enhancement or an insight that allows us to do something better,” says O’Connor. “That’s how we measure value.”
From Data to Insight
Aston Martin’s AI strategy is built on a foundation of robust data. Since implementing Infor’s ERP platform, the company has generated vast data sets.
“It’s already beyond the point of where a human can reliably get into it, make the decisions, and grab the insights to make the decisions”, says O’Connor.
The company also sees potential in agentic AI – autonomous agents that can monitor and optimize workflows in real time.
“Every time I look at some of our processes, you could add agentic AI all over the place,” O’Connor says. “It could literally lean out and optimize so much at the minute.”
In manufacturing, the focus is on quality control and alerting to issues at an early moment.
“It’s still more machine learning than AI at this stage,” says O’Connor, “but the vision is that we’ll get AI to start running it at the end.”
Preserving the Human Touch
However, when it comes to design – one of Aston Martin’s USPs – the company’s philosophy remains rooted in human creativity.
“Our customers want that almost hand-drawn luxury approach. I don’t think they would be very happy if we were using AI in the design.”
One of the biggest challenges in implementing AI is also rather human than technical:
“People’s natural fear is, ‘Is this going to replace my job?’” explains Steve O’Connor.
The concern is especially visible among developers. To address this, the company is in an early stage of creating an internal AI center of confidence. It will be designed to look for opportunities, identify gaps, help employees and retrain them.
Staying One Step Ahead of Cyber Security Risks
Another challenge when it comes to the use of AI within Aston Martin is the risk of cyber-attacks.
“I am concerned that people quite happily use any of their favorite AIs and dump company data in it, like an excel sheet for an analysis, and we are never quite sure where that data is going afterwards”, warns Steve O’Connor.
And, even more frightening according to the IT-specialist, a lot of cyber-attacks are now AI-driven. Aston Martin’s solution: Staying one step ahead of everything.
Looking Ahead: The Software-defined Car
As the automotive industry changes and the prevalence of electric vehicles, O’Connor sees new opportunities for AI.
“Electrification is one part, but the real change is the transition towards software-defined vehicles,” he says. “Once we make that jump, there’s lots of opportunity for AI in the development processes, software integration and cybersecurity.”
For now, Aston Martin’s strategy is applying AI with purpose, not hype.
“AI needs to validate its reason for existence by being a supporting tool to start off with,” says O’Connor. “Once people see real value, the winners will be those who use it as a differentiator. If it could make us 10 to 15 percent more productive, that would be a huge win.”
For Aston Martin, artificial intelligence is not replacing craftsmanship – it is complementing it.
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