Volkswagen integrates ChatGPT into its cars
VW's new voice assistant can access ChatGPT online. It is designed to "enrich conversations, answer questions and much more".
The hype surrounding artificial intelligence is also gripping car manufacturers. Volkswagen wants to integrate a voice assistant based on ChatGPT into its cars this year. The German company made the announcement at the CES in Las Vegas on Tuesday evening. A short advert featuring actor Ewan McGregor shows the system on sale.
The assistant goes by the name of IDA. It is activated by pressing a button on the steering wheel or by saying "Hello IDA". Thanks to AI support, communication between the car and driver should become more natural. According to VW, IDA understands questions and commands just as well as a human. This would make rigid voice commands a thing of the past. IDA could take control of the infotainment system, but also answer general questions - just like other versions of ChatGPT can.
When a voice command is given, IDA first checks whether it can process the request internally. For example, if the driver wants to adjust the air conditioning. Only if the internal processing fails does the request reach the OpenAI AI anonymously via the internet. This does not gain access to vehicle data. No account is required; according to VW, the data is deleted again once the request has been processed.
The integration of the chatbot will be available across VW's entire model range from the second quarter of 2024 - not only in the all-electric ID vehicles, but also in classic cars such as the Golf and Passat. IDA will initially be launched in Europe, with other countries such as the USA to follow later.
Source: Volkswagen
Volkswagen is forging ahead with AI integration. Whether this is wise remains to be seen. ChatGPT is still controversial, as the chatbot is considered unpredictable and sometimes gives the wrong answers in a tone of conviction. In addition, many copyright issues are still unresolved.
It also remains to be seen whether IDA can save you from dicey situations, like K.I.T.T. once saved David Hasselhoff.
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