CES kicks off this week in Las Vegas, and Volkswagen will be there with some interesting news. ChatGPT will be integrated into the automaker’s existing IDA voice assistant and offered in several models later this year.
In case you need a refresher on ChatGPT, it’s the AI chatbot that, for better or worse, attempts to mimic human conversations. And sometimes, it sells you a new Chevrolet Tahoe for $1. ChatGPT won’t replace VW’s factory system. Rather it’ll serve as a backup assistant when IDA doesn’t have a clear answer to a response. In theory, this means you could ask your ID.7 random questions like the distance to Jupiter, and ChatGPT could come in with a clever answer. We say in theory because VW doesn’t offer details on just how involved the conversation with your future car can get, though a press release does claim it can “provide relevant responses to nearly every query imaginable.”
As far as security goes, VW states the ChatGPT integration doesn’t access vehicle data so personal information shouldn’t be sent to the global AI. Additionally, all questions are “deleted immediately” so presumably, you should be okay if you ask something like “how many guards are there at the bank across the street” or any potential eyebrow-raising query. It also integrates seamlessly with VW’s current infotainment system, using the same familiar voice. No additional actions are necessary to use it.
“Volkswagen has always democratized technology and made it accessible to the many,” said Kai Grünitz, member of the Board of Management for Volkswagen, technical development. “This is simply ingrained in our DNA. As a result, we are now the first volume manufacturer to make this innovative technology a standard feature to vehicles from the compact segment upwards.”
A VW spokesperson told Motor1 that ChatGPT functionality will launch first in European markets beginning in the second quarter of 2024. It’s currently going through the approval process for the United States, but a timeframe for when (or if) it’s incorporated stateside is not yet available.
