“No longer relying solely on laboratory data, BMW plans to collect real road accident footage from car owners to improve assisted driving.”

To enhance the actual safety of assisted driving systems, BMW announced in September 2026 the launch of a video data collection program. This program requires car owners to automatically record video clips lasting up to 120 seconds when specific dangerous situations occur, such as sudden braking or near-collision during lane changes. These videos will be used to train machine learning models and optimize software functions. The improved algorithms will be pushed to vehicles via OTA updates, eliminating the need for car owners to visit a dealership for upgrades. The program is only applicable to models equipped with specific software and sensors, and it requires active consent from car owners; it does not record daily trips. Regarding privacy protection, videos taken before September will be blurred and uploaded before being sent; starting from September, if local laws permit, the videos will be directly sent back to BMW’s backend, after which the vehicle identification numbers will be deleted and deersonalized.