The Next Generation of Cars Will Be Built Like Phones

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Ford revolutionized modern manufacturing. Now they're building intelligent products in a world where the real advantage isn’t speed or innovation, it’s integration.

This episode explores how AI and global competition are changing the systems behind design and manufacturing. Jae Park, VP of Digital Product Design at Ford, shares how his team is approaching software integration and finding its competitive edge when countries like China are already generations ahead. We talk about Ford's focus on affordable EVs, why the supply chain is their Achilles' heel, and how they're embracing AI as a creative partner — and not a replacement.

Topics discussed:
Introduction (00:00)
Problem-solving approaches at Amazon, Microsoft, Google, and Ford (01:17)
Ford’s design legacy and shift to digital product design (02:57)
Three major disruptions: electrification, autonomous driving, digitization (05:27)
How China builds cars like phones (09:57)
Global supply chain challenges and the impact on production (12:39)
U.S. investment in AI versus manufacturing and supply chain (15:59)
Ford’s early approach to affordable EVs (17:07)
Ford’s platform-first approach to EV design (22:55)
AI’s role in design and how we’re getting it wrong (26:05)
Applying the Socratic method to design with AI (28:29)
Job displacement and the future of the industry (30:53)
AI, robotics, and the future of design (33:38)
Designing for the AI-native generation (39:15)

About Jae Park
  / parkjae  
Jae Park is a design leader with a track record of building teams and driving innovation at the intersection of business, technology, and human needs. At Ford’s EVDD group, he leads cross-functional designers shaping the company’s digital product strategy to make mobility a fundamental right while advancing sustainability. His career includes inspiring new ways of working at Google, creating the award-winning Metro design system at Microsoft, and leading the invention of Amazon’s Echo Show, which defined a new multimodal product category.

Guided by a belief that innovation begins with people, Jae’s leadership style emphasizes curiosity, collaboration, and empowerment. He nurtures diverse teams of designers and technologists, ensuring they have the perspective and support to create products that serve humanity and improve the world at scale.

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