Volkswagen is adding ChatGPT - to virtually all of its new vehicles. At CES 2024, Volkswagen announced the inclusion of ChatGPT in some of its models. The move promises a revolutionary improvement in vehicle communication systems and ushers in a new era of driver-vehicle interactivity.
Have you ever dreamed of your car talking to you like an old friend? Volkswagen makes this scenario a reality. Volkswagen adds ChatGPT! It's at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2024 the German car giant announced, to integrate ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence that promises to push the boundaries of the traditional driving experience, into some of its models.
Volkswagen is entering the ChatGPT game. This integration into the voice recognition system in Volkswagen vehicles not only brings a new level of interactivity, but also promises improved functionality. Imagine being able to have natural dialogues while driving your vehicle, ask about the weather, receive help with navigation, or even listen to your car read research content to you.
Among the models that will receive this technological upgrade are the Tiguan crossover, the Passat sedan and the Golf hatchback, as well as the entire line of ID electric vehicles, including ID.7, ID.4, ID.5 and ID.3. Volkswagen plans to make this chatbot standard equipment in these models, which shows the company's serious commitment to innovation in the automotive industry.
For example, the IDA voice assistant can be used to control infotainment, navigation and climate control or to answer general scientific questions. In the future, AI will provide additional information in response to questions beyond this as part of its ever-expanding capabilities. This can help on many levels while driving a car: enriching conversations, clarifying questions, interacting in an intuitive language, receiving specific information about the vehicle and much more - completely hands-free.
Nothing changes for the person behind the wheel. There is no need to create a new account, install a new application or activate ChatGPT: The voice assistant is activated by saying “Hello, IDA” or by pressing a button on the steering wheel. IDA automatically prioritizes whether to perform a vehicle function, find a destination or adjust the temperature. If the request cannot be answered by the Volkswagen system, the AI is anonymously forwarded and the familiar Volkswagen voice answers.
ChatGPT does not get access to any vehicle data; questions and answers are deleted immediately to ensure the highest possible level of data protection. This is made possible by Cerence Chat Pro, which uses a multitude of resources, including ChatGPT, to enable IDAs to provide accurate and relevant answers to almost any question imaginable. The feature also prioritizes security and seamless integration with IDA's myriad capabilities, ensuring ease of use for drivers.
This step reflects a growing trend car manufacturers, which incorporate advanced artificial intelligence technologies to improve user experience and security. By integrating ChatGPT, Volkswagen not only adapts to modern technological trends, but also sets new standards for the automotive industry.
With this pioneering step, Volkswagen not only enriched its cars with advanced AI technology, but also opened the door to new possibilities in human-machine interaction. We can expect this trend to dictate future innovations in the automotive industry, making driving more interactive, fun and safe.
"We are proud to continue building on our automotive expertise and long-standing partnership with Volkswagen to offer its customers new innovations that leverage generative artificial intelligence and rich language models – even after the vehicle has been purchased," says Stefan Ortmanns, CEO of Cerence. “With Cerence Chat Pro, VW is empowered with an automotive-specific ChatGPT integration that offers unparalleled flexibility, personalization and ease of deployment, while prioritizing safety and usability for drivers. As we look to the future, Volkswagen and Cerence will jointly explore collaboration to design a new rich language model-based user experience as the foundation of Volkswagen's next-generation in-car in-car assistant.”
