By : Michael Hlista
Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing collision repair, not by replacing technicians and estimators, but by helping shops work faster, more consistently and with less administrative burden. As shops and insurers face rising repair costs, labour shortages, and expectations of faster turnaround times from customers, AI is emerging as a tool to improve efficiency across the entire repair workflow.
Auto-Gestion spoke with Solera’s Bill Brower, a 35-year industry veteran who has witnessed the evolution of claims processing from handwritten estimates and Polaroid cameras to today’s AI-powered systems.
As collision repair became more digital over the past decade, shop management systems, photo estimating and connected claims platforms created the data foundation for today’s AI systems that can streamline estimating and improve decision-making across the car repair process. Using millions of repair records, the technology continuously learns and refines its recommendations over time. For example, if a damaged fender is consistently replaced instead of repaired, the AI adjusts future recommendations accordingly. “It gets smarter the more it’s used,” Brower says.
For shops and insurers, the biggest advantages are speed and consistency. AI produces estimates faster while standardizing repair decisions across insurers and repair facilities. “AI is consistent,” Brower says. “If you want the same rules applied every time, AI can do that.” AI also improves the customer experience by reducing delays and administrative work. Instead of waiting days for an estimate, customers can often receive one before leaving the shop. For repairers struggling with labour shortages, AI also allows experienced estimators to focus on higher-value decisions instead of repetitive tasks.
AI in Action
One of Brower’s examples comes from CARSTAR Torcam Group, which operates four shops in Ontario. When the company implemented Solera’s AI, it fundamentally changed the intake process. Instead of customers waiting days for an estimate, staff can now photograph the vehicle, generate an AI-assisted estimate and review it with an estimator in minutes while the customer waits in the shop.
The results were immediate. Vehicle intake times dropped to about 20 minutes, repair cycle times improved by 25 percent and monthly sales increased by 17 percent, driven in part by faster scheduling and improved customer capture rates.
For Brower, examples like CARSTAR show that AI is no longer an experiment, but technology that is already reshaping how collision shops operate. He believes the industry is only beginning to grasp the technology’s potential. “This is the most exciting time in the industry,” says Brower.
