AI Comes To Volkswagen As Automaker Launches ChatGPT Integration

ChatGPT compliments the IDA voice assistant and can answer a variety of questions

Volkswagen has been talking up ChatGPT integration for months, but it’s finally here and promises to improve the ownership experience. The technology can be found on all members of the ID. family as well as in the new Golf, Tiguan and Passat.

Instead of typing, ChatGPT is accessed by using the IDA voice assistant. While the latter enables owners to control a variety of features, such as the climate control system and navigation system, ChatGPT promises to “go far beyond” that.

More: Mercedes And ChatGPT Team Up To Bring AI Voice Assistant to Cars

As an example, Volkswagen said you could ask ChatGPT to tell you about tourist attractions or how your favorite team played last night. The automaker went on to say it can even help your kids solve math problems.

While some voice assistants require you to talk a bit robotically, Volkswagen says their system allows for natural language and won’t require drivers to take their eyes off the road.

Volkswagen went on to say owners don’t need to create a new account or download a new app as they simply need to say “Hello IDA” or press a button on the steering wheel. However, ChatGPT is only available in a handful of languages including English (US and UK), Spanish, Czech, and German.

In a statement, Volkswagen’s Kai Grünitz said “Volkswagen has a long tradition of democratizing technologies. By seamlessly integrating ChatGPT into the backend of our voice assistant, we are now offering drivers the opportunity to use this artificial intelligence on a daily basis, thus underlining how innovative our products are.”

While there will undoubtedly be privacy and security concerns, Volkswagen says at “no point does ChatGPT gain access to vehicle data” and information is sent anonymously to ChatGPT “only if a query cannot be answered by the Volkswagen system.” The automaker went on to say questions and answers are deleted immediately to ensure information is kept private and confidential.