It's no well-kept governmental secret that Volkswagen and OpenAI's chatbot and virtual assistant, ChatGPT, have been hearting each other a lot lately through texts, emojis, and vehicle infotainment features. Until now, customers used to yell at their center consoles when menus, submenus, or certain features were missing or hidden in plain sight. However, through ChatGPT integration, drivers will receive a wide range of such additional information by simply using natural language.
Remember in the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) by Stanley Kubrick when Dave asked the HAL 9000 AI system if it could open the pod bay doors, but after an unsettling silent pause, HAL simply said back, "I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that," thus entering movie history? Well... while we're still far removed from such a scenario, thanks to ChatGPT vehicle integration, we might soon communicate in the same organic way with Volkswagen vehicles.
VW is one of the first high-volume brands to integrate the famous chatbot with the help of Cerence, a company with 20 years of experience in transportation and AI. Cerence boasts it's "the global industry leader in AI-powered interaction across transportation." More than 475 million cars worldwide use their technology, including Stellantis, Ford, BMW, Honda, Subaru, and many more heavy-hitting manufacturers.
In January, Microsoft announced it started collaborating with the company using ChatGPT through Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service to "advance a next-generation, generative AI-powered in-car experience." In less fancy marketing words, the search tool aims to help consumers or drivers find what they're looking for more easily. Sometimes, the car will even tell you out loud what results it found, so you don't have to take your eyes off the road.
It's available in the new lineups, such as the fully electric ID. models (software version 4.0 and higher), Golf, Tiguan, and Passat, through the infotainment package or IDA voice assistant.
Photo: Volkswagen
"By seamlessly integrating ChatGPT into the backend of our voice assistant, we are now offering drivers the opportunity to use this artificial intelligence on a daily basis, thus underlining how innovative our products are," said Kai Grünitz, Member of the Brand Board of Management responsible for Development at VW.
Until recently, drivers could have asked IDA about controlling the infotainment system, navigation, and climate control. But with ChatGPT, it's now possible to seek detailed info about tourist attractions and sports scores or even solve mathematical equations on the go if you're a science professor or something of the sort.
All this should happen correctly using natural language as long as it's in English, US and UK, Spanish, Czech, and German. After saying "Hello IDA" or pressing the button on the steering wheel, users can ask away, provided they have a VW Connect/VW Connect Plus account. Now, here comes the kicker.
The OS (operating system) will use IDA to the best of "her" ability, but only when "she" falls short and cannot provide the necessary information will the question be anonymously sent to ChatGPT. The latter is but one source used by Cerence Chat Pro for IDA. The feedback voice won't change, just the "search engine," so to speak. Volkswagen says ChatGPT will not have access to vehicle data.
Even more so, to ensure privacy, questions and answers will only live temporarily. They will be erased as soon as the AI answers the question or solves the problem. It's a funny reminder of "this message will self-destruct in five seconds" from Mission Impossible with Tom Cruise.
Photo: Volkswagen
For those on the more skeptical side, the voice assistant can be turned off in the Volkswagen app settings menu or from the privacy settings of the infotainment system.
This being said, as with any piece of software, some shortcomings or bugs are likely to occur from time to time. The ChatGPT version is 3.5 Turbo, which won't always have the correct answer. Sometimes, it may even come up with a complete gibber gabber.
Not even the 2025 VW Golf GTI Clubsport, which puts out 296 hp or 300 ps and 295 lb-ft with 400 Nm of torque, has been spared this integration. Trying to hit its 166 mph or 267 kph top speed while talking to the Clubsport's AI about its internal readings could be quite an experience.
If we were to put our tin foil hats on for a second and jump a bit into the future, safety-wise, it could even let us know when something's wrong with a component, system, and so on. It could even recommend the correct speed while drifting into a corner by pre-analyzing the maps, with topography included.
Maybe AI algorithms could set the correct suspension adjustments and fiddle with other control systems depending on the road surface, corner angle, recent weather conditions, and all that technological jazz: "I'm sorry, Dave, but I cannot let you go over 100 mph for the next 10 miles." All kidding aside, an enhanced focus on vehicle and driver safety could be achieved in the near future through AI.
Codrin just loves American classics, from the 1940s and ‘50s, all the way to the muscle cars of the '60s and '70s. In his perfect world, we'll still see Hudsons and Road Runners roaming the streets for years to come (even in EV form, if that's what it takes to keep the aesthetic alive). Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News