What It’s Like to Work in AI at HERE Technologies

At HERE Technologies, AI isn’t just used internally for decision-making and efficiency. It is also becoming a core part of the products and services the company develops for software-defined vehicles.

The work of Julian Gonsior, director product management at HERE Technologies, focuses on building products for highly automated and autonomous driving. These systems require large amounts of data for training, testing, validation and simulation.

“We help provide the data, context and digital representations of the world that make those AI systems more capable and reliable,” Gonsior explained. 

What excites him most is how early HERE Technologies is in its AI transformation.

“AI is changing how products are built, but also what products can do,” he said. “Being part of that transformation is one of the reasons I enjoy my role so much.”

For aspiring AI professionals, HERE Technologies offers opportunities to work with emerging technology, solve real-world mobility problems and deliver products that create tangible customer value. Read the rest of our interview with Gonsior below.

How HERE Technologies Uses AI in Product Development

AI is becoming part of almost everything we do. Internally, we use it to help people work more efficiently, make better decisions and move faster. Across our engineering and product teams, AI supports activities such as software development, data processing, automation and insight generation. It helps us spend less time on repetitive tasks and more time solving meaningful problems. 

From a product perspective, AI is also increasingly embedded in what we build. My work focuses on products for highly automated and autonomous driving, where AI models require large amounts of data for training, testing, validation and simulation. We help provide the data, context and digital representations of the world that make those AI systems more capable and reliable. AI is not just something we use internally — it is becoming a core part of the products and services we bring to customers. What excites me most is that we are still early in this journey. AI is changing how products are built, but also what products can do. Being part of that transformation is one of the reasons I enjoy my role so much.

“AI is changing how products are built, but also what products can do. Being part of that transformation is one of the reasons I enjoy my role so much.”

One technical area I’m particularly proud of is helping build products and capabilities that support the development, training, testing, and validation of AI-based automated driving systems. What makes this challenging is that AI development for automated driving is not just about creating better models. It requires massive amounts of high-quality data, realistic digital representations of the world, simulation environments, and efficient workflows that allow engineers to iterate quickly and safely. 

The analogy I often use is that we are helping build the infrastructure around AI. If the AI model is the race car, then the data, maps, simulation environments, and validation tools are the racetrack, pit crew, and testing facilities that help it perform reliably. Without that foundation, even the most advanced AI model cannot succeed. What I’m proud of is how our teams bring these different components together into solutions that help customers accelerate development while maintaining confidence in the performance of their systems. It’s a complex technical challenge, but one with very tangible real-world impact.

How HERE Technologies Prepares Data for AI

One thing I appreciate about our approach is that we focus on the foundations first. In the world of AI, it’s easy to get excited about models and algorithms, but the real differentiator is often the quality of the underlying data. We spend a lot of time ensuring that data is accurate, scalable and fit for purpose before it is used in AI applications. In my area, that means helping customers build, train, test and validate AI systems for highly automated and autonomous driving. A strong emphasis is placed on data quality, coverage and real-world representation because even the most advanced AI model is only as good as the data it learns from. 

Clear focus on solving tangible customer problems rather than pursuing technology for technology’s sake is key. We also take a pragmatic approach to AI. Rather than adopting AI for its own sake, we focus on where it can create measurable value — whether that is improving internal productivity, accelerating product development or helping customers solve complex challenges. Responsible use, transparency and continuous improvement are important principles throughout that process.

How SceneXtract Turns Location Data Into Simulation-Ready Road Scenes

One milestone I am proud of is the development of SceneXtract. The purpose of SceneXtract is to help automotive developers find real-world road scenes more efficiently and turn them into simulation-ready content. Instead of manually searching for specific road layouts or map attributes, users can describe what they need in natural language — for example, a multi-lane road, a highway ramp or a complex intersection — and SceneXtract helps identify matching locations from HERE map data.

The output can then be generated in formats such as OpenDRIVE, a standard format used to describe road networks for simulation, which makes it easier to use the scenes in simulation and validation workflows for advanced driver-assistance systems and automated driving development. What made the project exciting was that it brought together AI, map data, simulation, product thinking and real customer problems. It was not AI for the sake of AI. It solved a very practical pain point: reducing manual effort and helping customers move faster from “I need this kind of scenario” to “I can test against it.” Strategically, SceneXtract supports the broader shift toward more scalable, data-driven development and validation of automated driving systems.

What AI Professionals Can Expect at HERE Technologies

What makes HERE a unique place for AI professionals is the chance to work on problems that connect the digital and physical worlds. We are not just building algorithms in isolation — we work with real-world data, location intelligence and mobility challenges that require AI to operate at scale and in highly complex environments. 

 “What makes HERE a unique place for AI professionals is the chance to work on problems that connect the digital and physical worlds. We are not just building algorithms in isolation.”

The work is also inherently cross-functional. AI experts collaborate with specialists in data engineering, mapping, simulation, software engineering and product management. That creates a learning environment where you continually expand your skills beyond a single domain. 

For someone interested in AI, I would join for three reasons: the scale of the data, the opportunity to solve meaningful real-world problems and the ability to see your work translated into products that create tangible value for customers. If you enjoy combining cutting-edge technology with practical impact, it’s a fascinating place to build your career.

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