CES 2024: VW integrates Chat GPT and unveils Golf facelift
The ID.7 and the camouflaged facelifted Golf serve as demo models for the new feature: In the future, customers of all Volkswagen models equipped with IDA will be able to seamlessly access the constantly growing database of Artificial Intelligence and have researched content read aloud to them while driving and interact with the car in natural language. VW remained silent about the Golf facelift: But the biggest innovation, as illustrated, will be in the infotainment system, while they are likely to have subtly refined the aerodynamics and efficiency.
The basis for this is the "Cerence Chat Pro" program from technology partner Cerence Inc. The new chatbot will be offered in conjunction with the latest infotainment generation in the following models: ID.7, ID.5, ID.4, ID.3, new Tiguan and new Passat as well as the new Golf. Incorporating ChatGPT into the backend of the Volkswagen voice assistant is expected to offer a variety of new possibilities that go far beyond the previous voice control capabilities.
Sliding is a thing of the past: The voice assistant controls all functions
With the IDA voice assistant, for example, you can control the infotainment system, navigation, and climate control, or answer general knowledge questions. In the future, the AI will be able to provide many more pieces of information within its ever-growing capabilities. According to VW, this could be helpful during a car ride: it can enrich conversations, answer questions, or tell stories in an intuitive and natural language without losing sight of traffic. Our first practical tests with a DS7, which also featured ChatGPT, were mixed: because ChatGPT is only as smart as the dataset it is trained on.
Important: No new account needs to be created
Volkswagen customers can use the IDA voice assistant as usual. No new account needs to be created, no new app installed, or ChatGPT activated. By saying "Hello IDA" or pressing the button on the steering wheel, the digital assistant is activated. IDA automatically recognizes whether a vehicle function is to be executed, a destination to be searched for, or the temperature to be changed.
Only if the query cannot be answered by the Volkswagen system, it will be anonymized and forwarded to the AI, and the familiar Volkswagen voice will respond. ChatGPT will have no access to vehicle data, and questions and answers will be promptly deleted in the interest of optimal data protection. This is made possible through the Cerence Chat Pro program, which uses a variety of sources, including ChatGPT. The function also places importance on security and seamless integration into the functions of IDA to facilitate easy use for drivers.
Stefan Ortmanns, CEO of Cerence Inc, explains:
“We are proud to build on our expertise in the automotive industry and our long-standing partnership with Volkswagen. This allows us to offer Volkswagen customers innovations that leverage generative AI and large language models - even after the purchase of a vehicle.”
And he adds:
“Looking to the future, Volkswagen and Cerence will examine the collaboration in developing a new user experience based on a large language model (LLM) as the foundation for the next generation of Volkswagen's in-car assistants.”
What does that mean?
It is clear that ChatGPT will very soon be incorporated into all models. How significant the added value is compared to a simply operated, ergonomically optimized car from the 1980s remains to be seen. Because many prefer a silent, non-networked product that simply takes them from A to B.
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