Intelligent support in real time: Porsche is equipping its Car Configurator with a new advisory function that draws on artificial intelligence.

A new function has been added to the Porsche Car Configurator, to offer individuals specially tailored suggestions as to how they might configure their vehicle. ‘Recommendation Engine’ uses artificial intelligence to determine unique and suitable options from billions of possible combinations – all within a fraction of a second.

The new tool is based on several million data points from the Car Configurator. To implement it, more than 270 machine learning models were trained for specific markets and derivatives. Known as neural networks, they use algorithms to find patterns in the data, making it possible to predict options to provide the greatest possible benefit for each individual customer, based on their own choices. Tests have shown the recommendations are more than 90 per cent accurate and, because the Recommendation Engine is self-optimising based on new data, the rate will improve further over time.

“By using artificial intelligence in the Porsche Car Configurator, we’re making the configuration process easier for our customers,” says Axel Berger, Project Manager in the Advanced Analytics and Smart Data department at Porsche. “We’re using this technology to create a truly personalised online experience where we display relevant equipment options. No two users will receive the same recommendations.” Porsche has taken particular care to ensure data protection and anonymity, so users’ privacy remains protected at all times.

The tool is currently available to customers in six sales markets: Germany, China, the US, Great Britain, Switzerland and Taiwan; and others will follow. Users can access the virtual consultation via the Recommendation Engine by clicking on a light bulb icon at the bottom of the page. As part of its digitalisation strategy, Porsche is using AI in a way that is clearly geared towards customer benefit, pursuing the goal of inspiring customers by extending its unique product and brand experience to the online sphere.

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In a new report, the joint big data task force of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the Heads of Medicines Agency (HMA) have proposed ten priority actions for the European medicines regulatory network to evolve its approach to data use and evidence generation, in order to make the best use of big data to support innovation and public health.

Big data can complement the evidence from clinical trials and fill knowledge gaps on a medicine as well as help to better characterise diseases, treatments and the performance of medicines in individual healthcare systems, the task force said.

The rapidly changing data landscape forces regulators to evolve and change the way they access, manage and analyze data and to keep pace with the rapid advances in science and technology.

“I look forward to working with the European Commission (EC) and national competent authorities to see how these concrete proposals can be implemented to better harness the potential of big data. This will help to further strengthen the robustness and quality of the evidence upon which we take decisions on medicines,” said Guido Rasi, Executive Director of the EMA.

The report highlights which of the ten recommendations it sees as priorities. This includes the establishment of an EU platform to access and analyse healthcare data from across the EU. This platform would create a European network of databases of verified quality and content with the highest levels of data security. It would be used to inform regulatory decision-making with robust evidence from healthcare practice, the report explained.

The joint task force has also encourgaed the development of skills to process and analyse big data within the network through training to enhance the capacity of regulators to assess applications for the authorisation of medicines that use big data sources as part of the evidence on benefits and risks. It proposes establishing a learning initiative to track and review outcomes of these types of submissions.

The report also emphasises the need to ensure data is managed and analysed within a secure and ethical governance framework and in active dialogue with key EU stakeholders including patients, healthcare professionals, industry, Health-Technology Assessment bodies (HTAs), payers, device regulators and technology companies.

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