Volkswagen models with the new generation infotainment system are now also equipped with ChatGPT artificial intelligence (AI). The AI-based search tool is available in all new ID.2 electric vehicles in the family as well as in the Golf, Tiguan and Passat. It can be accessed via the IDA voice assistant and offers a range of new options that go far beyond the voice control previously available. For example, customers can now read search results and interact with the car using natural language.
Kai Grünitz, Member of the Board of Management for Technical Development: “Volkswagen has a long tradition of democratizing technologies. As a high-volume manufacturer, we are making these technologies accessible to a large number of people. With the seamless integration of ChatGPT into the backend of our voice assistant, we are now offering drivers the opportunity to use this artificial intelligence on a daily basis, underlining just how innovative our products are.”
In current Volkswagen models, users can already control the infotainment, navigation and air conditioning system via the online voice assistant IDA. The vehicle can also answer questions on various topics. But with the introduction of ChatGPT, the possibilities have been expanded considerably: the AI can, for example, provide information about tourist attractions, provide information about past soccer tournaments or help solve mathematical problems. All of this works intuitively: the driver simply speaks to the assistant in natural language without having to take their eyes off the road.
Easy to use, without the need for an additional account. Volkswagen customers who already have a VW Connect/VW Connect Plus account can use the IDA voice assistant as usual: They require neither an additional login nor an additional app. The digital assistant is activated with the words “Hello IDA” or by pressing the button on the steering wheel. Only if the Volkswagen system is unable to answer a query is it forwarded anonymously to ChatGPT; the answer is then given in the familiar Volkswagen voice. ChatGPT does not access the vehicle data at any time. Questions and answers are deleted immediately to ensure optimum data protection. The online voice assistant can be deactivated in the settings area of the Volkswagen app or in the data protection settings of the infotainment system.
The technology is available in five languages. In January 2024, Volkswagen presented the first vehicles with ChatGPT integrated with the IDA voice assistant at the CES 2024 electronics trade fair. The technology is currently available in the system's languages English (USA), English (UK), Spanish, Czech and German. The deployment in Volkswagen vehicles was made possible through collaboration with Cerence Inc, a global leader in AI solutions for the automotive industry, and its Cerence Chat Pro, which uses a variety of sources - including ChatGPT - to enable IDA to provide accurate and relevant responses to almost any possible query.
