(Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Hertz’s AI damage scanner appears to be charging customers big bucks for minor dings

In April, Hertz said it would roll out more than 100 AI-powered rental vehicle scanners by the end of this year.

6/23/25 3:31PM

When Hertz announced back in April that it was partnering with AI startup UVeye to install more than 100 AI-powered damage scanning systems at its US airport locations this year, many customers reacted skeptically. An “MRI for cars”? What could go wrong?

Now, we’re beginning to get the answer.

According to some renters interviewed by auto newsletter The Drive and others posting on Reddit, the AI tech rollout has resulted in hefty charges for minor damages that a human employee likely wouldn’t bother charging for.

One customer said they were charged $440 for a one-inch scuff on a wheel, broken down as $250 for damages, $125 for processing, and a $65 administrative fee. On Reddit, another post says that a barely-visible ding led to a $195 charge. Whether these minor damages were actually caused by the renters in question appears to be up to the AI to deduce.

Posts from the hertzrentals
community on Reddit

The Drive reports that customers with questions or concerns about AI-discovered damages have to first bring those concerns to the company’s AI chatbot, which doesn’t allow a human agent to enter the chat.

UVeye’s damage discovery tool sure seems like it could be a big moneymaker for Hertz, which posted a loss of $2.9 billion last year. The rental company reported its sixth consecutive losing quarter last month, shedding another $443 million.

Hertz’s rental rivals, including Avis and Enterprise, are also reportedly weighing AI inspection tech.

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Roblox paid out $1.5 billion to creators last year, meaning its top 1,000 creators took home about 87% of the total pool.

Like other creator economy giants, Roblox rewards its biggest creators for their contributions to user engagement. Creator-made titles like “Grow a Garden” and “Steal a Brainrot” substantially boosted playing time over the course of the year. In September, the company increased its developer exchange rate, or the ratio of in-game currency to cash payout, by 8.5%.

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Roblox answers Google’s Project Genie, launching the open beta for its “4D” AI creation tool

Roblox on Wednesday launched the open beta of its “4D” AI creation model, less than a week after the launch of Google’s Project Genie, an AI-powered interactive world generator.

The tool allows users to generate interactive objects that can be used in gameplay, such as a drivable car or a flyable plane, as opposed to static 3D objects.

Roblox’s “4D” system relies on rule sets called schemas that create objects out of multiple parts, allowing cars to have a body and movable wheels, for example.

“We expect to soon include schemas that cover the range of thousands of objects in the real world,” the company said.

The move to bring the tool out of early access and into open beta appears to be a response to Google’s Project Genie, which allows users to generate “playable” worlds out of a text or image prompt. Gaming stocks like Roblox, Take-Two, and Unity Software have dropped in the days since Project Genie’s release, though Wall Street analysts largely believe the market reaction to be unjustified, as interactivity through Google’s tool is limited.

Roblox's 4D creation feature is now available in open beta | TechCrunch