Volkswagen has recently announced the establishment of an "artificial intelligence lab" focused on creating cutting-edge digital prototypes.
The renowned carmaker aims to revolutionize products and features through collaboration with international technology firms, fostering creativity in AI-driven solutions. The initiative seeks to explore diverse partnerships across China, North America, and Europe (via Reuters).
Innovative Digital Prototypes
The primary goal of this innovative lab is to generate early-stage prototypes, with a specific focus on areas such as AI-optimized charging cycles, predictive maintenance services, and voice recognition.
Volkswagen has already initiated exploratory talks with global tech companies to kickstart initial projects, although details of these potential collaborations remain undisclosed.
What sets this AI lab apart is its independent structure; it will not be housed within Volkswagen's software unit Cariad or any specific brand. This intentional separation expedites development processes, enabling the lab to operate with agility and efficiency.
However, promising prototypes developed within the lab will be seamlessly integrated into Volkswagen's portfolio, undergoing validation and execution under the supervision of a board comprising representatives from Volkswagen, Audi, and Porsche.
This announcement comes amid challenges faced by Cariad, Volkswagen's software unit, which is currently undergoing a restructuring plan. Reports suggest that this plan may involve significant staff reductions as Cariad aims to overcome delays and implement new software architectures.
Volkswagen's Foray Into AI
Earlier this month, Volkswagen unveiled a breakthrough at CES 2024. The company showcased vehicles featuring an integrated AI chatbot, ChatGPT, within its IDA voice assistant.
For now, only select models will get the IDA with ChatGPT integration, but the company claims that this will expand more in the future. According to Volkswagen, electric and ICE cars will get the integration, including the likes of ID.7, ID.4, ID.3, the all-new Tiguan, the all-new Passat, and the all-new Golf.
This integration, powered by Cerence Chat Pro from technology partner Cerence Inc., provides customers seamless access to a growing artificial intelligence database.
What makes this integration remarkable is its promise to deliver ChatGPT as a standard feature in many production vehicles from the second quarter of 2024.
Stefan Ortmanns, CEO of Cerence, expressed pride in collaborating with Volkswagen, emphasizing their commitment to leveraging generative AI and large language models for ongoing innovation. Cerence Chat Pro is hailed for its unmatched flexibility, customization, and ease of deployment, prioritizing security and usability for drivers.
Looking to the future, Volkswagen and Cerence are poised to explore collaboration in designing a new large-language-model-based user experience, setting the stage for the next generation of in-car assistants.
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