Blockbusters To Bookings

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A few weeks ago, Cliff Bailey (our NZ BDM) wrote in AutoTalk about Tilly Norwood, the AI-generated actress who "walked" the Zurich Film Festival red carpet and had audiences doing a double-take. The technology behind her is impressive, but what struck us internally wasn’t the spectacle - it was the reaction.

People generally accepted her; and that’s the real story Cliff highlighted in his column: she was a human on a screen and we're used to that; it wasn't a great jolt to our conscious that she was AI generated. We adapt fast when interactions feel familiar, useful, and consistent.

But why should dealerships care?

The Hype Curve and the Reality Check

Right now, AI is being applied to everything from HR systems to home appliances sometimes brilliantly, sometimes comically, and sometimes because marketing teams insist on using the word “AI” whether it applies or not.

A global BCG study recently revealed that only 5% of companies are seeing real, scalable value from AI today, and most organisations report that meaningful ROI takes 2–4 years to emerge. That’s the gap between the promise and the payoff.

For dealerships, that distinction matters. Nobody needs more tools that sound clever but add steps, interrupt workflow, or fail under real-world conditions. The value, as always, lies in the productivity gains.

And this is exactly where tools like our Service AI Booking Agent will earn their place.

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Solve a Known Problem

At AADA, we introduced our Service AI Booking Agent - an AI that can talk to customers online, understand intent, draw on DMS content and history, and book directly into the workshop scheduler. A full end-to-booking tool and a meaningful step: fewer follow-ups, fewer gaps, enhanced user experience, and more time for advisors to focus on the customers physically in front of them.

Since AADA, we’ve taken several significant steps forward:

Real dealership environments: Full Beta testing is underway with early adopters, and the AI is handling real customer conversations, 24/7.
Messaging channels expanded: Including WhatsApp, which is becoming a preferred channel for many customers.
Conversation intelligence refined: Content and guardrails are now shaped by real interactions, not just lab scenarios.
Enterprise foundations strengthened: Enhanced AWS, Microsoft Azure and SQL-based integrations for performance and resilience.‍
Voice development has begun: Planning underway for inbound and outbound voice conversation bookings. Still early days - but progressing well.

These aren’t flashy headlines. They’re the invisible work required to ensure that when Service AI does launch widely, it actually helps - every day, for every user.

Incremental Change is the Sustainable Path

Tilly Norwood shows what’s possible at the cinematic end of AI. But dealerships won’t jump from web forms to lifelike avatar Service Advisors overnight.

The evolution will happen in practical steps:

AI that handles bookings sensitively and accurately.
AI that speaks naturally on the phone - inbound and outbound
AI that undertakes deeper conversational, business-specific interactions across a variety of specialisations
And eventually, maybe, something closer to a “Tilly”.

Each step earns trust and removes a point of friction but the key for progressing from one stage to the next is - does it pay?

And that's going to be the difference between hype and performance.

A Closing Thought

If there’s a thread that connects Cliff’s red-carpet story to the progress we’re making at Titan, it’s this:

AI won't reshape our industry through headlines, PR, or moments of spectacle. It will be through robust products and the steady solving of everyday problems.

That’s the work we’re doing now - delivering a meaningful step that makes the next ones possible.

And as our Service AI Booking Agent moves through Beta and closer to general release early next year, we'll be excited to share more of those steps with you.

If you're interested in being kept up to date about our Service AI Booking Agent please let us know by filing out your details here:

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Regards

Bala Kothandaraman.

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