AI and Automation in Collision Repair

Key Trends from Paint & Panel LIVE 2025 

When Matt Douglass headed to the Gold Coast for the Australasian Paint & Panel LIVE conference and awards night, he wasn’t just there to represent Repairify. It was also a chance to reconnect with industry colleagues, catch up with old friends, and get a feel for where the collision repair industry is heading in 2026. 

When we caught up afterwards, his takeaway was pretty sharp. 

“That was a really good event. I really enjoyed all of it,” Matt said. “The first session was with Julian Moore – a professor in the computer science world who specialises in AI, showing us what all the different AI software can do. You can build a website, you can create what looks like a real person on screen, it can copy your voice, and then you get into actual robots that can learn from you to load the dishwasher. It is absolutely frightening.” 

But in a good way. 

“It just shows how far advanced AI is,” he said. “A lot of the event was around AI, and that led on to how AI is going to be introduced into the collision world.” 

With that in mind, here’s a look at the AI and automation themes shaping the next chapter of collision repair. 

AI in the Workshop Today 

At the LIVE event, one theme dominated the room. AI and automation aren’t side conversations anymore. They’re practical, affordable, and already shaping everything from estimating to robotic painting to the day-to-day reality of vehicle diagnostics. With modern vehicles getting more complex, robust vehicle diagnostics capability is now essential. 

Keynote speaker Julian Moore made the point clearly. AI isn’t for big enterprise anymore. It’s something small and mid-sized repairers can use right now to lift productivity and reduce inefficiency. His message was simple: AI won’t replace technicians. It will replace the boring bits that chew up time and drag down proper vehicle diagnostics and job planning. 

 Robots With Scars: BMW’s Industrial Pilot 

A standout example came from BMW’s Spartanburg plant. Over 11 months, BMW partnered with Figure AI to test humanoid robots in live production. When the trial ended, the robots were covered in scratches and scuffs – a badge of honour that proved they’d actually worked full industrial shifts. 

They ran 10-hour days, loading sheet-metal parts into welding fixtures, contributing to more than 30,000 BMW X3s. Accuracy stayed above 99 percent, even as their exteriors looked battered. Figure AI is now moving to its next-generation Figure 03 units. 

For collision repairers, it’s a reminder that automation isn’t a future idea. It’s here. 

The AI Anxiety Cycle And the Luddite Renaissance 

Whenever new technology shows up, fear follows. We’re in that cycle again with AI. A small but loud counterculture online rejects AI outright – something being called the Luddite renaissance. 

The original Luddites were nineteenth-century textile workers who smashed machinery because it was used to undercut wages. Every major leap since then – printing, telephones, cars, computers, the internet, digital photography – has had its own wave of panic. The cycle repeats. Then fades. 

Most of what we see today is really virtue signalling. People posture online to seem thoughtful or morally superior. But the behaviour never matches the performance. The same people yelling about AI still use smartphones, Netflix recommendations, and Google Maps. These public stances almost never shift actual purchasing behaviour. 

Pushback is predictable. And temporary. 

What Makes 1X’s Neo Interesting 

Another development worth watching is the 1X Neo, a humanoid robot designed for home and light-duty tasks. Neo is human-height, lightweight, quiet, and uses tendon-driven joints for smoother motion. 

Its real trick is learning. When Neo hits a task it can’t handle, a human operator can take over remotely and guide it. Neo stores the experience, and that learned skill rolls out to other units. 

Neo is expected to reach Australia after its initial US run. As the software matures, it could become the first consumer-grade robot capable of doing real domestic work without constant hand-holding. 

It fits neatly with Julian Moore’s broader point: robotics won’t replace people. They’ll take the jobs no one actually wants to do. 

Why LLMs Will Not Become Conscious… And Why That’s Comforting 

A lot of fear comes from sci-fi thinking – the idea that AI might somehow “wake up”. But LLMs (large language models) can’t develop consciousness. They predict patterns. They don’t have intention, awareness, or internal experience. 

This is reassuring. The AI we use in workshops, planning systems, scanning flows and diagnostic tools isn’t a being. It’s just software. If true machine consciousness ever becomes a goal someday, it would require a completely different foundation – not a language model. 

So while AI is everywhere, the version we’re actually using is safe, predictable and under human control. 

 Where Repairify Fits In – Practical Tools, Not Hype 

This is where Repairify sits – not in theory, but in the practical day-to-day of Australian workshops. As more ADAS systems arrive in the market, and digital ADAS workflows become the norm, shops are dealing with more modules, more calibrations, and more vehicle diagnostics than ever before. 

Repairify Remote Services and asTech Remote Services help shops manage this complexity without outsourcing work. As ADAS becomes standard across more makes and models, workshops rely heavily on Repairify Digital ADAS, proper digital ADAS workflow tools, and solid ADAS calibration support to stay compliant. When repairs get tricky, strong diagnostic support – whether remote, live or built into the workflow – becomes essential. Without reliable diagnostic support, even basic jobs can grind to a halt. 

And because not every technician can specialise in every brand, Repairify Remote Services gives shops access to real specialists on demand, closing the skills gap without needing extra staff. 

Reliable scanning, calibration, digital ADAS setup and everyday diagnostic support keep jobs moving, keep repairs in-house, and reduce downtime. 

It’s the same principle Julian Moore spoke about – use technology to lift people, not replace them. 

Wrapping Up – And Congratulations to the Winners 

And finally, congratulations again to all the winners at the 2025 Paint & Panel Awards. Matt’s attendance on behalf of Repairify was a great reminder of how quickly the industry is evolving – and how many workshops are already embracing better technology, smoother processes and sharper diagnostic capability heading into 2026. 

They’re the ones setting the pace for what comes next.