Artificial intelligence can help design more appealing cars

From curb appeal in real estate to smooth edges on smartphones, consumers gravitate toward products that are pleasing to the eye. This is especially true in the automotive industry, where product aesthetics have been linked to roughly 60% of purchasing decisions. "People buy cars based on aesthetics. Styling can make a difference," saidJohn R. Hauser, a professor of marketing at MIT Sloan. Styling is also expensive: Carmakers invest more than $1 billion to design the average car model and up to $3 billion for major redesigns.