Google’s recent AI-heavy I/O show brought about several new products, services, and ‘upgrades’ meant to make your life easier by applying the industry go-to: artificial intelligence (AI). One of the company’s biggest announcements saw the search giant expanding its partnership with Volvo to kit out its Google-equipped cars with Gemini‘s expertise, whether you want it or not.
Volvo’s white Knight (Rider)
“For years, Google and Volvo Cars have collaborated closely to bring cutting-edge technology to connected cars,” said Patrick Brady, VP of Android for Cars. “We’re excited to deepen this partnership, accelerating the pace of innovation that will not only improve the driving experience for Volvo customers but also set new benchmarks for the automotive industry.”
Volvo’s customers will be “among the first to benefit from the power of the latest conversational AI technology,” assuming they already own a car that’s got the company’s now-antiquated Google Assistant inside. The deal isn’t just a, uh, boon for Volvo drivers either. Google mentioned that the partnership will enable it to use Volvo’s cars as one of the blueprints going forward, helping it develop the Android OS for cars.
That means Gemini won’t just be reserved for Volvo’s new cars going forward, but when Google feels the update is ready for general consumption, to which Google has committed to only arriving sometime “later this year.” As for when other cars can expect to play with the new Gemini toy, the company didn’t say.
Read More: Google wants (some) users to pay R4,500 per month for better access to Gemini 2.5
There’s no telling how Gemini’s Volvo ambitions will look out in the real world, other than an impossible-to-find demo at the I/O inside the Volvo EX90. But Google reckons that the conversational manner of Gemini will actually help drivers reduce their cognitive load, leaving more room to keep their eyes on the road.
When available, drivers will be able to use Gemini to draft texts (and even translate them before sending), ask for directions, find a specific song, and even pull up details about the car using its manual as a source. It’s essentially got all the powers of a regular LLM like ChatGPT or Copilot, but inside your car.
“Through this partnership with Google, we are able to bring the very latest features and capabilities from the leading consumer eco-system into our products first,” says Alwin Bakkenes, head of global software engineering at Volvo Cars.
