Markus Schäfer

CTO at Mercedes-Benz Group AG

2024 CODEIUM TECH LEADER: HARDWARE & MANUFACTURING

Background

Markus Schäfer was appointed CTO of Mercedes-Benz Group AG in 2022 and has been with the company for three decades. With a background as a mechanical engineer, Schäfer has held leadership roles spanning engineering, manufacturing, and production at Mercedes-Benz.

Throughout his tenure, Schäfer has spearheaded the integration of groundbreaking technology in Mercedes-Benz vehicles, with a particular focus on transitioning the passenger car fleet to run entirely on electricity in the future. Under his guidance, the company has prioritized the addition of safety technology, including LiDAR and other innovations. In mid-2023, the company launched a pilot ChatGPT AI feature through its MBUX Voice Assistant, and at CES 2024, Mercedes announced the new MB.OS, including an AI-powered voice assistant with the ability to converse with drivers in real-time. These updates are slated for release later this year.

“AI plays a very important role! We see AI as a key technology to create a whole new experience of mobility. It is already an integral building block for us, be it in development, production, sales or after-sales. AI is also becoming increasingly important in the vehicle itself, for example by allowing vehicles to better understand their environment through deep learning, which significantly supports the production-ready development of automated driving."

Disclaimer: These leaders are not affiliated with Codeium, nor do their inclusion in this group suggest any commercial relationship between their businesses and Codeium.