If you’ve ever looked at your car and thought “I need a voice assistant in this ride”, Volkswagen probably has the car that you need. The German automaker has become the first to launch ChatGPT in its vehicles.
It’s not called ChatGPT, of course. That would be silly. It’s called Cerence Chat Pro, a “uniquely intelligent, automotive-grade ChatGPT integration”. The only limitation on it right now is geographical — the product rollout is currently limited to Europe. North America will follow later, and then possibly by other markets.
Volkswagen’s cloud services
Why do you want ChatGPT Cerence inside your motor vehicle? It’s kind of assumed that you won’t ask that question but drivers will have the option to conduct “fun and conversational chit-chat” with their cars. It’ll also permit “credible and relevant responses to nearly every query imaginable” if a sudden urge to ask questions strikes while you’re in traffic. It’s totally worth spinning up another data centre over, guys.
Communicating with the AI, provided you can think of a reason to do so, isn’t limited to voice interactions. However, four languages (German, Spanish, Czech, and two versions of English) are supported at launch. It’s also possible to use the in-car console to type in questions if you’re weird about talking to yourself.
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It’s worth noting that some Volkswagen models already have a voice assistant installed, called IDA. This Chat Pro integration doesn’t replace it, it just acts as a second avenue for information. Ask Volkswagen’s IDA a question that it can’t answer and it’ll summon reinforcements from the cloud and whatever massive server farm is currently melting small bunnies in Hanover. All because you couldn’t wait to find out the calorie content of a McDonald’s milkshake.
