Tim Stevens

Freelance automotive and technology journalist with more than 25 years of experience, frequent contributor to outlets including The Verge, MotorTrend, TechCrunch, Ars Technica, and Capital One Auto Navigator. He covers the intersection of cars and technology, including AI, software-defined vehicles, EVs, and automotive design; he previously led automotive coverage at CNET and served as editor-in-chief of Engadget.

AI Tools Could Shrink Car Development From Six Years to Three

AI is entering car development first as a way to compress the years of sketching, 3D modeling, simulation, testing and software work behind a new vehicle, not as a prompt that produces a finished car, Verge contributor Tim Stevens argues on The Vergecast. Stevens says that could move automakers toward three-year development cycles and lower costs, but warns it may also encourage homogenized design and erase the junior work that trains future designers and developers. The Verge’s Hayden Field applies the labor question to the wider AI business, where coding tools such as Claude Code and Codex are gaining traction while companies cite AI in layoffs without clear evidence that the productivity gains or ROI are there.

The VergeMay 7, 202618 min read