Artificial Intelligence (AI) is making its way and is increasingly present in our lives. Virtual voice assistants such as Siri, Alexa or Cortana have fully entered the domestic sphere to answer everything we ask them based on our internet search history. But they are only the tip of the iceberg of a technology that spans many other fields, from healthcare or finance to logistics and transportation, just to name a few.
One of the last steps that the AI has taken now comes from the hand of ChatGPT. It appeared at the end of 2022 and in a few months it has revolutionized all sectors due to its ability to answer questions and generate texts autonomously. Who more and who less has put ChatGPT to the test to check first-hand the quality of their texts and the precision of their answers.
This tool, developed by the American company Open IA with the participation of Elon Musk, owner of Tesla, is capable of having a conversation with a person in any language. In general, ChatGPT produces some very correct and complete answers, so at Moveo we ask ourselves if it can help us to repair some parts of the car without having to go to the mechanical workshop.
Among the infinite questions that we can ask ChatGPT, we ask a very specific question to see how it performs. The query is as follows: 'How to change the front lamp of a Seat Ibiza?' Immediately afterwards, we see how the bot details on the computer screen the steps we must follow to replace the burnt-out bulb.
However, ChatGPT warns at the end of the text that to carry out this task we might need special tools and that ultimately we might have to take the car to the workshop. The same happens when we ask you other questions related to other car components, such as brake pads or batteries. On the other hand, for simpler jobs, such as changing the windshield wipers, he tells us that it is "a quick and easy task that can be done at home without the need for special tools."
"ChatGTP can represent an advance for many sectors of society, but stopping to repair cars is useless", Celso Besoli, president of the Guild of Mechanical Workshops of Barcelona, is categorical. “It is very good that the AI explains what you should do and details it point by point. But it is not enough to be a handyman, you have to have the necessary machinery to carry out any job and an individual does not always have the necessary tools to do it”, adds this mechanical expert.
The president of the Guild explains that on the road there are many vehicles with out-of-focus headlights because the bulb that has been replaced has not been installed by a professional. It is just an example to illustrate that many tasks must be supervised by a professional. "When placing the light bulb there are many holes and you cannot leave it as it is at first without checking, then, if it is focusing on the moon or the ground."
For this reason, he considers that ChatGPT provides the same help -no more- than the tutorials that are published on social networks. “In theory, an individual can do everything. In the videos it looks very easy. But in practice you have to realize that this is not the case, that you have to be prepared and not everyone is”, adds Besolí.
However, the leader of the Guild of Mechanical Workshops of Barcelona believes that in the future AI will have a preponderant place in all fields, even in car repair shops. “At least 20 years have yet to pass, but I believe that robots will be manufactured that will have the capacity to repair any vehicle.”
Besolí points out that the automata must be made of a ductile material, such as silicone, in order to access all the parts of the car. “Some cavities in the car are very hidden and it is difficult to get there. Sometimes, to change a light bulb, we see ourselves and we wish to put our fingers in and proceed to replace it”.
Rogelio Cuesta, vice president of the Spanish employers' association of auto repair shops CETRAA, also finds the help that ChatGPT can provide to non-professionals when it comes to fixing the car useful. "Guiding anyone on how they can replace a part that has to do with the safety of a car seems like a real outrage to me," warns Cuesta, who in turn is also the president of the employers' association in Asturias.
“Today, most cars need to be connected to a machine to diagnose and monitor their functions. Once the car is repaired, we must also communicate to the machine what you have just done. Therefore, if you do not follow this protocol, you are playing with your safety and that of others", the Asturian leader stresses.
Cuesta, like Besolí, also gives an example of how simply replacing a light bulb can cause a serious road safety problem. “If you don't have a machine that calibrates ADAS systems, you can't recalibrate an optic that is badly placed. A normal citizen can only do a few things by himself, but less and less, because even to change the oil you have to connect the car to the diagnostic machine”.
Therefore, the vice president of CETRAA believes that only professionals in the field should follow the advice of ChatGPT to repair a vehicle. Likewise, he is not in favor of youtubers publishing tutorials on mechanical repairs when they affect road safety. “I already know that in times of economic crisis, like the current one, it is tempting to follow any tutorial that is posted on social networks and teaches you how to repair the car. But this is a mistake. It is dangerous to follow so happily the instructions of someone who is playing with the safety of many people”, says Cuesta.
