Volkswagen boards the generative AI train and announces ChatGPT in its cars

Volkswagen will follow in the footsteps of Mercedes-Benz. The manufacturer has jumped on the AI ​​train and announced that will include ChatGPT in its cars. OpenAI chatbot will be integrated into IDA voice assistant for enrich communication with the user.

The company took advantage of the start of CES 2014 to unveil its new capabilities, and one of the most exciting is the arrival of ChatGPT. The introduction of the AI ​​chatbot into Volkswagen vehicles will be through Cerence Chat Pro, a platform that facilitates the integration of artificial intelligence into in-car assistants to enhance communication capabilities.

According to Volkswagen, ChatGPT can be used to control the infotainment system or ask general questions.With. “This can be useful on many levels during a road trip: enriching conversations, clarifying questions, interacting intuitively, obtaining vehicle-specific information and much more, simply hands-free,” the company noted.

The manufacturer has entered into an integration agreement with Cerence ChatGPT in the backend of electric vehicles ID.7, ID.4, ID.5, ID.3and also in the new Tiguan, Passat and GolF. Deployment of the chatbot will be done through updates from the cloud and will not require any interaction from the user. Artificial Intelligence OpenAI will be available in IDA and activated when the driver presses a button dedicated to the steering wheel.

Volkswagen said that IDA automatically determines the priority of requests, so if a request cannot be fulfilled using the internal system, the assistant forwards the information to the AI. The person driving will not be able to distinguish ChatGPT because the IDA voice will respond.

ChatGPT and privacy issues in Volkswagen cars

While the arrival of ChatGPT in Volkswagen vehicles opens the door to new possibilities, there are some privacy issues. At the same time, the German manufacturer stated that consultations are conducted anonymously and the chatbot does not have access to any vehicle data. Questions and answers will be deleted immediately to ensure information security.

“VW offers automotive-grade ChatGPT integration that provides unparalleled flexibility, customization and ease of implementation, while prioritizing safety and usability for drivers,” said Stefan Ortmanns, CEO of Cerence. “We are proud to be able to leverage our automotive expertise and long-term partnership with Volkswagen to continue to offer customers new innovations even after their vehicle purchase.”

Long-term cooperation includes the development new long tongue model (LLM) for next generation vehicles. Cerence will use the Volkswagen dataset to train its model to convey voice and touch sensations in the same conversation.

Volkswagen It has not confirmed the date it will update its machines to ChatGPT. or whether it will be offered in all countries. In the case of Mercedes-Benz, the chatbot is only available in beta for those living in the US. VW could follow the same path and run it for a trial period to iron out bugs and eliminate any bugs.