AI Revolutionizes Car Design and Speeds up Development Process

WHO:

Fast Company - General Motors (GM) is a major player in the auto industry.

Fast Company - Sterling Anderson is GM's chief product officer.

Fast Company - Jason Fischer is GM's executive director of virtual integration engineering.

WHAT:

Fast Company - GM's use of AI tools and generative design technology is cutting the typical car development timeline in half.

Fast Company - The average vehicle program in the U.S. and Europe takes about four to five years; GM's target is two years.

Fast Company - GM had $185 billion in revenue in 2025.

Fast Company - The new Chevrolet Silverado is launching later this year, designed using thousands of combustion chamber simulations.

Fast Company - The computational designs for the Silverado helped GM hit performance and emissions goals in a third of the typical time and cut prototype engine production costs by 20%.

WHERE:

Fast Company - The developments are taking place within General Motors, which operates in the auto industry primarily in the United States and Europe.

WHEN:

Fast Company - Anderson joined GM in 2025.

Fast Company - The new Chevrolet Silverado is set to launch later this year.

WHY:

Fast Company - GM is embracing AI and virtual simulation tools to evolve its product development process and gain a strategic advantage.

HOW:

Fast Company - GM has integrated AI tools throughout the entire product development process, shifting from sequential development to concurrent workflows.

Fast Company - Virtual wind tunnel tests and co-simulations of different systems are used to optimize vehicle design and performance.

Fast Company - AI is used to infer potential strain on parts through virtual simulations of vehicle maneuvers.

(UPDATED July 16, 2026 15:29 UTC)

General Motors is making significant strides in the auto industry, with Sterling Anderson serving as the chief product officer and Jason Fischer as the executive director of virtual integration engineering. By integrating AI tools and generative design technology, GM is cutting the typical car development timeline in half, aiming to reduce the average vehicle program from four to five years down to just two. The new Chevrolet Silverado, designed using thousands of combustion chamber simulations, is set to launch later this year and has already helped GM achieve performance and emissions goals in a third of the usual time while lowering prototype engine production costs by 20%.