Volkswagen announced on Monday its plan to integrate ChatGPT, a voice assistant, into its cars, allowing for interactive conversations with users by mid-year. This was revealed during the technology showcase at the CES electronics trade fair in Las Vegas.
The carmaker introduced its initial vehicles equipped with ChatGPT, set to launch for North American and European customers in the early second quarter of this year. Executives from Volkswagen and Cerence (CRNC.O), the tech partner, highlighted the AI’s capabilities in responding to various commands, such as adjusting temperature upon hearing “I’m feeling cold” or displaying nearby Mc Donald’s restaurants when prompted with “I want a Big Mac.”
Kai Gruenitz, Volkswagen’s board member for technical development, emphasized the convenience for customers, enabling them to control vehicle functions through voice commands without physically interacting with buttons. He noted the shift in consumer preferences towards speech dialogue systems for effortless operation.