Volkswagen has announced plans to add an AI-powered chatbot, ChatGPT, to its vehicles. The announcement, made at CES 2024 in Las Vegas, signals Volkswagen’s commitment to enhancing the driving experience with the help of artificial intelligence technology.
The integration is planned to be rolled out in the second quarter of this year, starting in Europe, and will initially be available in Volkswagen’s electric vehicles ID.7, ID.4, ID.5, ID.3 and the new Tiguan, Passat and Golf models. Drivers in the United States still have to wait.
Developed by OpenAI, ChatGPT has received considerable attention recently, with Volkswagen emerging as the biggest automaker to adopt the technology. Mercedes-Benz integrated a chatty AI rat into its MBUX infotainment system back in June.
Volkswagen promises features like enriching conversations, clarifying questions, communicating in intuitive language, receiving vehicle-specific information and more. To enhance the experience, Volkswagen is also using Cerence’s specialized Large Language Model (LLM) called CaLLM, which can answer approximately 10,000 vehicle-specific queries.
Once the feature is activated, drivers can interact with the IDA voice assistant by using the familiar wake word “Hello IDA” or by pressing a button on the steering wheel. When the voice assistant encounters a request beyond its capabilities, it forwards the request to an AI chatbot. The response is then transmitted through the IDA voice assistant, clearly indicating the source of the information.
Cerence CEO Stefan Ortmanns hinted at the possibility of further collaboration between the two companies to design a new, LLM-based user experience for Volkswagen’s next-generation in-car assistant.
Source: GSMArena
