OPENLANE’s new AI-powered tool helps buyers visualize vehicle damage
OPENLANE wants to make damage detection clear and simple.
That’s the company’s goal in introducing Visual Boost AI, a tool that produces damage detection overlays for every dealer-consigned vehicle in OPENLANE’s U.S. marketplace.
The artificial intelligence-powered technology is designed to supplement vehicle inspection data by prominently highlighting detected exterior damage directly onto photos within the condition report, making it faster and easier for buyers to accurately locate and assess potential defects before making a purchase decision.
“Making wholesale easy is our north star, and Visual Boost AI solves a persistent industry pain point for buyers by instantly translating written CR data into an image overlay that’s powerful in its simplicity,” said executive vice president James Coyle, president of OPENLANE’s North American marketplaces, in a news release.
“We’re proud to be the first to offer AI-powered insights on every dealer car on our marketplace. With one click, dealers can toggle the overlays and effectively get a second set of eyes to help them see anything they might have missed — like seeing the car in-person, from the convenience of your screen.”
The new tool uses artificial intelligence and computer vision technology to provide a virtual overlay of any exterior damage detected. The overlays feature hot pink highlights to pinpoint damage, including hail, paint peel, detached panels, broken lights, rust, scratches, dents and cracks.
Buyers can toggle the overlays on or off within condition reports, which OPENLANE said allows them to interpret the data captured in the vehicle description and make smarter, more profitable bidding and buying decisions.
“OPENLANE’s Visual Boost AI really improves the quality of the inspections, giving me 60-70% extra confidence about the major damage on a vehicle,” said Rami Mourtaja, general manager of R B Morgan Auto in Houston. “Before, I was circling the pictures trying to find everything, and now it’s all done for me. Scratches, dents, everything — it’s easier and faster than ever for me to view an inspection and bid with confidence.”
Visual Boost AI was created in partnership with Click-Ins Visual Intelligence platform for vehicle inspections.
OPENLANE’s network of independent vehicle inspectors scan vehicles using their smartphone cameras as part of their regular inspection process. The technology automatically generates AI-detected damage overlays for each of eight standard CR images showing the vehicle at successive 45-degree angles, which inspectors then validate and reconcile, a process that takes less than a minute.