Mercedes-Benz USA exec: AI is ‘changing the way that we do everything’

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

“There are not many other industries where you work on a product … that people write songs about, that people name,” Lee said.

In a wide-ranging interview, Lee spoke to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for AJC Her+Story about her career path, how artificial intelligence is reshaping sales and what it’s like working for one of the world’s best-known brands.

A car is the second-most expensive purchase most people make after a home, and “it is so tied to your identity,” she said. In the U.S., “it’s very much tied to your notion of freedom, of independence, this idea of the open road.”

And the industry is rapidly evolving. Automakers are navigate the growing electric vehicle market and changing consumer tastes.

“The strongest marketing teams pivot as quickly as they possibly can based on where trends are,” Lee said. A customer may like EVs, but want the choice of a gas car or a hybrid. And in the U.S., preferences can vary wildly between states and regions.

“We believe really strongly in the power of choice,” Lee said. “For us, that’s the real luxury.”

But it’s a complex transformation for automakers.

“You’re spending double on your research and development and your product development costs to develop both of these technologies. That’s a huge transformation that has to happen internally at our plants,” Lee said. “You’re pivoting everything that you’re doing in terms of how you develop the car, how you invest in the car, and at the same time, you have to market it differently, too.”

Credit: Miguel Martinez

Credit: Miguel Martinez

Simultaneously, “The AI transformation that’s happening is changing the way that we do everything,” including allowing Mercedes-Benz to better target customers with the type of vehicle they’re most likely to be interested in.

AI also allows the company to take a single advertisement and quickly transform it into versions for TV commercials, social media promotion and radio, or to create new versions to run in different countries in a different language, Lee said.

“AI helps us duplicate that kind of imagery and those kinds of assets in a much more efficient way, instead of a graphic designer sitting in front of a computer and saying, ‘OK, now let me resize this ad for this channel,’” Lee said.

But, “it still takes humans to intervene” to make sure the images and assets being used are right, she said. “For a luxury brand, when your price point is higher, your customer expectations are much greater. You need to get these things right.”

Lee, 44, also shared why a gig as a restaurant server was one of the most valuable experiences of her life, what her best tip is for airport parking and what she loves most about Atlanta.

Edited for length and clarity.

Q: How did you start off in your career?

A: I grew up in Texas and really thought for most of my life that I would get a college education, but then stay home with the kids.

I went to Georgia Tech for both my undergrad and graduate degrees in international affairs. Even at the point that I got my master’s degree, I thought, I’ll probably stay home, be a homemaker, raise my children.

I met my husband at Georgia Tech. It was only when we got back to Texas, to the University of Texas at Austin where he pursued his Ph.D, that I thought: ‘Maybe I should work, you know, just to support him while he’s a Ph.D student.’

There was a one-year stint in an Irish pub. I was a waitress. It actually ended up being one of the most valuable things I’ve ever done.

So many great lessons: how to deal with difficult customers, how to move someone out who’s been over-served, how to advocate for yourself when someone walked a tab. Being in the business of service is just a really healthy lesson in life.

(Then) I started off as a $12 an hour intern at a PR agency. They immediately put me on crisis communications accounts. Really that training in crisis, it’s almost like working in dog years. So six years was really like 42 years of work.

Somebody that I worked with in that world brought me over to General Motors to work on the Cadillac brand. And that was my first step into marketing, my first step into automotive. I stayed there for several years, and then began the transition to other marketing jobs.

Q: How do you approach mentorship?

A: Take every call.

Someone did it for me. Someone was really busy somewhere and still made the time for me.

I think you make time for the things that are important, and mentorship is really important.

Q: What’s your favorite restaurant for a business lunch?

A: I really like the White House on Peachtree Road. I just really like the feel of an old-school diner. So it’s one of my favorite places to go.

I also really like Lucian Books and Wine (in Buckhead). I like being among all those books. It’s also a really nice ambiance and really great food. And also you can have a conversation in there as well.

Q: What’s your best Atlanta parking secret?

A: My flight tracking app just told me I took 80 flights (in 2025). With that context in mind, my favorite thing to do is to park at the Fast Park off-site parking (near the international terminal at Hartsfield-Jackson).

So I park at Fast Park, never check a bag, and I go through the international terminal. I did two weeks in Germany and a week in Greece — so three weeks total — in a carry-on.

Credit: Ben Gray for the Atlanta Journal

Credit: Ben Gray for the Atlanta Journal

Q: What do you love most about Atlanta?

A: It’s the home of Georgia Tech. Truly, I am so grateful for my time at Georgia Tech. It is a very tough school to get into. Then it’s a tough school to stay in.

That school taught me how to solve a problem, and it told me that nothing was insurmountable.

Q: What breaks your heart about Atlanta?

A: I look at my team, just as an example, and the commutes that people have to make to come to the office really concern me and break my heart sometimes. I think about the people that spend three hours on the road every day, and the loss in time for them with their families.

It’s not even about productivity, even though I think that it also hinders productivity. But I think that the way the city has grown is a concern … without the public transportation and infrastructure that I’m very accustomed to, having lived in New York for almost 10 years.

Q: That’s interesting, to hear someone who works for a car company talk about the value of public transit.

A: We need options for people, though, right? Of course, we want them in our cars and on the road. But I also want for folks the options that they need for that moment in their lives.

Q: What’s one mistake that you’ve made that transformed how you approached your career?

A: I am such a know-it-all. You know, front of the room, teacher’s pet type. And I think the biggest mistake I’ve made in my career is going into situations, businesses, jobs, with all the answers. That is not a good way to go in, not a good way to learn.

I think that it’s taught me the importance of leading with openness, with curiosity, with actually listening for the answer instead of listening for the answer that I think is going to be.

Q: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

A: Somebody early on in my career said something really important to me, which was: ‘Worry not about your success. Worry about how you are making those around you successful.’

And that can be your boss, that can be the people that work for you, that can be your peers. If they’re all successful around you, you will be successful as a result, and you don’t really have to worry about yourself.

And that was the best advice that an overachieving, straight-A, violin- and piano-playing student could get.

AJC Her+Story is a series in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution highlighting women founders, creators, executives and professionals. It is about building a community. Know someone the AJC should feature in AJC Her+Story? Email us at herstory@ajc.com with your suggestions. Check out all of our AJC Her+Story coverage at ajc.com/herstory.