The Car10 app enables users to get quotes from local garages by uploading a photo
Elly Yates-Roberts |
Brazilian startup Car10 is using Microsoft Azure artificial intelligence (AI) to take the stress out of car repairs by enabling users to get quotes from local garages by uploading a photo.
According to a Microsoft blogpost by Allison Linn, author at The AI Blog, the company has set up an app that allows customers to share the image and receive three to five estimates from businesses that have been screened for quality and reliability by Car10, in under a minute.
“We take the fear out of the process, the worry that you’ll be taken advantage of,” said Jose Tafner, chief financial officer at Car10. “When you have a small accident or crash, the thing you want to know is how much it’s going to cost. The first need is speed and some level of accuracy.”
The system, which is based on Microsoft’s Azure Cognitive Services Custom Vision Service, uses a machine learning model to compare the car’s damage with similar cases to provide a quote almost instantly. Car10 then works more closely with the repair shop to confirm the estimate.
Since its founding in 2014, the company has relied on Microsoft technology, for example using Power BI dashboards and building the app on the .NET framework. As such, the founders were happy to use the firm’s AI services to make the most out of its data.
The four of us are data freaks,” said Tafner. “We’re constantly using it to improve the business.”
Car10 was able to use data from photos of cars to train the machine learning model to automatically detect what kind of repair a person needs and what it would likely cost.
Considering its success in automotive repairs, the firm is now looking to expand into other areas of business, trying new things and adjusting to the challenges while running the core business.
“We’re changing the tires while the car is running,” Tafner said. “There are no pit stops for us.”