Volkswagen’s Voice Assistant Campaign at the CES 2018 Las Vegas Conference: A Sneak Look at the Mercedes Modular Architecture (MMA) Concept CLA

The VW group of companies is the first to embrace the bot that is best known for kicking off the latestAI arms race and they are using the annualCES conference in Las Vegas to announce their plans.

ChatGPT and other large language model chatbots have been known to serve up false information, and OpenAI is being targeted in a number of defamation and copyright infringement lawsuits.

Most vehicle voice assistants are able to do basic tasks, but not much more complex ones, like turning on the seat washer or window washer. False positives and the need to repeat instructions are common. Third-party programs like Amazon’s and GOOGLE’s voice assistants are becoming more and more popular.

Last year, OpenAI said it would be releasing a platform for making custom versions of ChatGPT for specific use cases. The company’s GPT Store is where the artificial intelligence agents, called GPTs, will be accessible.

Mercedes says the first cars with MB.OS are coming with the automaker’s upcoming Mercedes Modular Architecture, or MMA, which is slated for 2025. The company’s Concept CLA, which had its North American debut at CES in Las Vegas this week, offers a sneak peak at what these vehicles will look like when close to production.

Mercedes-Benz Voice Assistant: Personalized Natural Language Processing Technology for Autonomous Driver Assistance and In-CAR Graphical Displays on a Nvidia Chip

The voice assistant’s speech will rely on an LLM for natural dialogue and answers to customer questions. There will be four “personality” traits: natural, personal, and empathetic. “The effect is more like a conversation with a friend,” the company claims. The assistant can ask intelligent questions and answer questions based on general knowledge.

Among its many suppliers, Mercedes relies on Nvidia for its water-cooled chips to power its MB.OS system. The company in San Jose has been working with many auto clients to develop high-powered systems-on-a-chip, which can be used to enable features such as advanced driver assist and in-car graphics.

Mercedes-Benz spokesperson Cathleen Decker declined to name the specific company that was supplying its generative AI technology. “The company works with a range of technology partners to develop and implement the latest advancements in artificial intelligence and natural language processing,” she said in an email. “Mercedes-Benz is committed to working with the best partners in the industry to ensure that the MBUX system remains at the forefront of automotive technology.”

In-car distractions are at an all time high. Instead of trying to limit the amount of technology being crammed into cars, auto manufacturers are increasingly using more high-tech fixes to encourage drivers to stay focused on the road.

For instance, it shows the type of traffic, be it another car, van, truck or even a cyclist. People are shown close to the roadside as well as potential dangers. And it superimposes route guidance into a realistic representation of the surroundings – particularly helpful in busy urban environments.