Can AI Actually Lower Your Car Insurance? | with Michael O'Shea of MOTER

This episode from CES 2026 features Michael O'Shea, CTO and COO of MOTER Technologies, discussing the company's approach to usage-based insurance through in-vehicle AI deployment. MOTER Technologies, backed by a major Japanese insurance company, places software directly in vehicles to analyze sensor data and generate fair driver risk scores while maintaining privacy through edge computing. O'Shea explains how their collaboration with Sonatus AI Director enables standardized deployment of their lightweight AI models across different vehicle platforms, benefiting drivers through potentially lower insurance costs, OEMs through revenue sharing and customer loyalty programs, and insurance companies through more accurate risk assessment. The conversation covers the evolution from traditional OBD dongles and smartphone apps to sophisticated in-vehicle systems that provide contextual understanding of driving behavior. O'Shea also discusses their DriveSAGE coaching application that provides feedback to help drivers improve their safety scores, emphasizing the importance of transparency and customer consent in data usage.

Chapters:
0:00 Introduction to MOTER Technologies and CES 2026
0:45 Meet Michael O'Shea
1:10 Michael's Background in Automotive Industry
2:30 Fun Facts and Personal Stories
3:42 Overview of MOTER Technologies
5:27 Innovative Approaches to Usage-Based Insurance
6:58 Addressing Privacy Concerns in Data Usage
8:37 Benefits for OEMs and the Automotive Ecosystem
9:58 Enhancing Brand Loyalty through Technology
11:02 Collaboration with Sonatus and AI Director
14:12 MOTER-Sonatus Case study and Demonstration Insights
16:45 Introducing Drive Sage Coaching Application
17:41 Engaging Younger Drivers with Data Sharing
18:13 Building Trust through Transparency
18:56 Closing Thoughts and Future Conversations