TECH NEWS – The future of mobility was outlined at the AI Symposium 2026 in Budapest. The operation of cars, as well as the safety of passengers and traffic, is increasingly being shaped by sensors, software and algorithms, with artificial intelligence at the center. According to István Szászi, Bosch is working to offer safe, practical and effective AI-based technologies for transport and industry, while Oliver Lange says safety is no longer only about the vehicle’s external environment, as an increasingly intelligent protective shield is now guarding passengers inside the car as well.
Artificial intelligence (AI) has brought significant changes to our lives in recent years, and it is now present in many areas of everyday life. The global automotive industry has also entered the age of artificial intelligence: although human beings are still behind the wheel today, the fundamental operation of cars, as well as the safety of passengers and traffic, is increasingly determined by AI-based sensors, software and algorithms. As a key player in the innovation sector, Bosch offered a look at its latest AI-based developments in autonomous vehicles and industrial automation at the international AI Symposium 2026, held in Budapest on May 21-22.
From Possibility to Reality: Artificial Intelligence Could Bring Vehicles Capable of Independent Decisions
In the automotive industry, AI can create real value when it turns from a theoretical vision into a reliable product function that can be used in series production, and then becomes part of the mobility solutions of the future. Bosch’s advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) can enable vehicles to see, sense and accurately interpret information from their surroundings, recognize traffic situations, make decisions and respond on the road in real time.
“Machine vision, situational awareness and spatial orientation are no longer merely basic research tasks. At Bosch, we have long been working to use AI-based technologies to offer safe solutions that can also be used effectively in practice for transport and industry. Bosch has so far filed more than 2,000 AI patents internationally, and by 2027 we plan to invest more than 2.5 billion euros globally in the field of artificial intelligence” – said István Szászi, head of the Bosch Group in Hungary and the Adriatic region, at the AI Symposium.
The Car’s Eye Sees Everything: AI-Based Safety Inside the Cabin as Well
According to international studies, every tenth road accident is caused by drivers becoming tired, drowsy or distracted while driving. That is why the EU’s General Safety Regulation (GSR) has required the use of driver drowsiness and attention warning solutions in new cars since 2024. From July 2026, mandatory systems will also help ensure that nothing distracts drivers while the vehicle is moving.
The AI-based interior safety developments under way at Bosch offer a wide range of solutions for all this, and they go even further. “Safety is no longer only about the vehicle’s external environment; what happens inside the cabin is also becoming increasingly important. As a result of new safety regulations, NCAP ratings and growing consumer expectations, interior sensing is developing very rapidly, so an increasingly intelligent protective shield is also guarding passengers inside the car. At the same time, AI-based automotive innovations go beyond safety: they open the way for further development in automated driving” – said Oliver Lange, head of interior sensing at Bosch Research, during his presentation at the Budapest AI Symposium.
In a Medical Emergency, AI Intervenes Immediately
Bosch is working on several key innovative solutions based on artificial intelligence in connection with vehicle interior sensing. These complex systems monitor the driver and the entire passenger cabin. Data collected by interior monitoring cameras and internal radars provide immediate information for the vehicle’s AI-based safety systems, which can warn, fine-tune settings or intervene when necessary.
While driving, fading attention, a momentary lapse or even a minor illness can have fatal consequences. That is why one of the priority areas of interior sensing is the monitoring of vital signs, mainly based on estimating heart rate and respiratory rate. The aim is to detect health abnormalities before the driver becomes incapacitated, allowing the system to issue a warning in time or, in a critical situation, even bring the vehicle safely to a stop.
It Does Not Stay Silent: The Intelligent System Also Protects Passengers and Children
AI-supported interior monitoring functions, using multiple cameras and supplemented by radar, pay attention to almost everything that may be important from a safety perspective. The 3D posture detection system, for example, also checks whether anyone in the car has taken up a position that could lead to injury in an unexpected event. This includes cases where a passenger places their feet on the dashboard, or their head gets too close to the airbag, which creates an increased risk of injury.
By estimating the height and weight of the occupants, the system can also optimize airbag operation, and it does not miss whether the driver is keeping their hands on the steering wheel. With sensitive sensors, AI can also detect the barely visible presence from outside of children who may have been left in the vehicle, which can save lives.
AI Is Being Built Into Production at Bosch, Not Only Into Products
Reliable industrial products can exist only if maximum precision and efficiency are maintained throughout the entire design and manufacturing process. Bosch relies on artificial intelligence not only in the operation of its innovative products, but also in their production. In almost every phase of manufacturing, it uses AI-based methods to improve the final quality of products. The company’s experts also presented specific examples of these solutions at the 2026 AI Symposium.
AI- and machine-learning-based solutions play a role in the development of Bosch’s complex automotive MEMS sensors, as well as in the automated quality control of soldering used during the manufacture of industrial products. AI may also provide a solution for eliminating such “mysterious” phenomena as the highly disturbing and unwanted rattling, vibration and friction that occur in certain vehicle components, such as airbag electronics. By uncovering the hidden causes through AI, later problems can be eliminated before series production begins.
The joint GraphRAG technology developed by Bosch and SZTAKI also increases the efficiency of development and manufacturing with the help of artificial intelligence. Functionally, it serves as an AI-based corporate knowledge center that can be used across every Bosch area, including research and development, engineering and quality management. The model finds accurate answers in vast amounts of unstructured data, such as PDFs and reports, accelerating problem-solving for engineers and researchers, while also making it easier for new specialists to join ongoing projects and development work.
Source: Bosch
