Volkswagen Debuts In-Car Voice Assistant Powered by ChatGPT AI
VW says its upgraded IDA voice assistant has smarter answers for more questions without compromising privacy.
Volkswagen is expanding the vocabulary of its in-car voice assistant by integrating the highly hyped ChatGPT artificial intelligence into its toolbox. The addition of the generative AI chatbot means VW's IDA assistant will eventually be able to answer general knowledge questions on top of its current ability to activate simple vehicle-related functions and provide basic sports, weather, and stock information. But Americans shouldn't expect their Vee-Dubs to chronicle the rise and fall of the Roman Empire while they navigate the rush-hour crush anytime soon. Right now, the company line is that "the feature is being considered for the United States."
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In Europe, at least, the AI assistant will be offered in the ID.7, ID.4, ID.5, ID.3, Tiguan, Passat, and Golf starting in the second quarter of 2024. Volkswagen says the chatbot can control the infotainment, navigation, and climate control along with answering general knowledge questions. The company promises "relevant responses to nearly every query imaginable" but also admits that it's a work in progress, acknowledging that the system's capabilities will grow over time. The future where a VW ID.Buzz files our expense reports, pulls together quarterly KPI reviews, and sends status emails to the boss as we chase swells can't come soon enough, we say.
Drivers will continue to activate the voice assistant by pressing a button on the steering wheel or saying "Hello IDA." Responses are powered by Cerence Chat Pro, an application that looks for the best response among ChatGPT's large-language-model AI, multiple search engines, and other external information sources, plus vehicle-specific programmed functions.
VW is emphasizing the security and privacy of using the chatbot. IDA will prioritize the more basic existing voice assistant whenever possible but if it can't find an appropriate response, it will anonymously pass the request to ChatGPT. Users don't have to create an account or install an app to use the service, and VW claims that questions and answers are deleted immediately. Volkswagen also says ChatGPT does not gain any access to vehicle data, which if true, would seem to limit its ability to provide answers around trip planning or vehicle maintenance.
Volkswagen and Cerence also say this could be the start of something bigger. The two companies are considering collaborating on a new, large language model (LLM)-based user experience for Volkswagen's next-generation in-car assistant.
I fell in love with car magazines during sixth-grade silent reading time and soon realized that the editors were being paid to drive a never-ending parade of new cars and write stories about their experiences. Could any job be better? The answer was obvious to 11-year-old me. By the time I reached high school, becoming an automotive journalist wasn’t just a distant dream, it was a goal. I joined the school newspaper and weaseled my way into media days at the Detroit auto show. With a new driver’s license in my wallet, I cold-called MotorTrend’s Detroit editor, who graciously agreed to an informational interview and then gave me the advice that set me on the path to where I am today. Get an engineering degree and learn to write, he said, and everything else would fall into place. I left nothing to chance and majored in both mechanical engineering and journalism at Michigan State, where a J-school prof warned I’d become a “one-note writer” if I kept turning in stories about cars for every assignment. That sounded just fine by me, so I talked my way into GM’s Lansing Grand River Assembly plant for my next story. My child-like obsession with cars started to pay off soon after. In 2007, I won an essay contest to fly to the Frankfurt auto show and drive the Saturn Astra with some of the same writers I had been reading since sixth grade. Winning that contest launched my career. I wrote for Jalopnik and Edmunds, interned at Automobile, finished school, and turned down an engineering job with Honda for full-time employment with Automobile. In the years since, I’ve written for Car and Driver, The New York Times, and now, coming full circle, MotorTrend. It has been a dream. A big chunk of this job is exactly what it looks like: playing with cars. I’m happiest when the work involves affordable sporty hatchbacks, expensive sports cars, manual transmissions, or any technology that requires I learn something to understand how it works, but I’m not picky. If it moves under its own power, I’ll drive it.
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