Zohar Fox, CEO of Aurora Labs, explains the role of Artificial Intelligence in improving software reliability and quality in the automotive industry at the 28th Automotive Electronics Congress. (Bild: Matthias Baumgartner)
At the 28th Automotive Electronics Congress in Ludwigsburg, Zohar Fox, Co-founder & CEO of Aurora Labs, spoke about the role of artificial intelligence in software development. In his keynote speech "How AI will be your trusted Advisor for SW reliability and Quality", he showed how AI can improve the reliability and quality of software in the automotive industry.
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What are the current challenges in automotive software?
The complexity of today's automotive software is enormous. One example Fox used in his presentation was the "spaghetti picture" - a metaphor for the many interconnected problems that can occur during development. Fox explained: "Every time we change something, there is the butterfly effect. Everything shifts and changes, and the integrators in particular feel this very strongly." These problems occur because the modules, which come from different suppliers, can cause unexpected problems when they are integrated into the overall system.
Every time we change something, there is the butterfly effect. Everything shifts and changes, and integrators in particular feel this very strongly.
How can AI improve the reliability and quality of software?
Fox explained how AI can be used to overcome this complexity. One of the main tasks of AI is to recognise patterns in the huge amounts of data generated during software development. With AI, these patterns can be analysed and predictions made about potential problems before they occur. "With AI, we can confirm the unknown," says Fox. One example of the power of this technology is the ability to recognise and correct errors in real time, which means a significant improvement in software quality.
At the heart of everything is the binary, the images or executables that actually run on the hardware.
What role does binary analysis play?
A central point in Fox's presentation was the importance of binary analysis. He explained that Aurora Labs has started to use natural language processing (NLP) not only for text, but also for binary files. ‘At the heart of everything is the binary, the images or executables that actually run on the hardware,’ he explained. Analysing these binary files with AI can provide deep insights into the software that were previously not possible. This enables more accurate error detection and correction.
How is AI used in practice?
Fox presented how AURORA LABS has integrated AI into existing systems to increase efficiency. She showed how AI is used to optimise code to save memory and computing power. ‘In this pull request, we were able to free up about 3.5% of memory by removing redundant code,’ Fox explained. This type of optimisation can be carried out on a daily basis and leads to a significant improvement in software performance.
What does the future of automotive software look like?
Finally, Fox gave an outlook on the future, in which AI will play an even more central role. She spoke about working with leading companies such as Infineon to develop AI-based solutions that can be used across the industry. ‘What we have created is a Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) system that bridges the gap between AI and binary file analysis,’ she explained proudly.
FAQ: The most important insights from Zohar Vox's presentation
How does AI help improve software quality in the automotive industry?
AI can recognise complex patterns and make predictions about potential problems before they occur, significantly improving software reliability and quality.
What is binary analysis and why is it important?
Binary analysis refers to the examination of the executable files running on the hardware. By analysing these files with AI, deeper insights into the software and more accurate error detection can be achieved.
What are the benefits of integrating AI into existing systems?
The integration of AI enables optimisations in the code, saves memory and improves the performance of the software. Real-time analyses and bug fixes can also be carried out.
What is a RAG system and how does it close the gap between AI and binary files?
RAG stands for Retrieval-Augmented Generation and is a system that combines AI with the analysis of binary files. It enables more precise and efficient error detection and correction.
About Zohar Fox
Zohar Fox is co-founder and CEO of Aurora Labs, a company specialising in software intelligence and artificial intelligence. Under his leadership, Aurora Labs improves the user experience and lowers the cost of software quality, safety and security in complex and dynamic automotive software systems. Zohar Fox was honoured with the 2021 AI Excellence Award for his contributions to improving software quality in the automotive industry. Prior to founding Aurora Labs, he gained over 20 years of experience in technology and sales leadership roles at companies such as Rosslare Security, Essence, Verifone and Orpak Systems. Zohar Fox holds a degree in Computer Engineering from Tel Aviv University.