Google has partnered with Volkswagen to launch an innovative AI assistant within a smartphone app for drivers, marking a significant advancement in automotive technology. This new tool allows Volkswagen owners to ask questions such as “How do I change a flat tire?” or use their phone cameras to gain real-time insights from their vehicle’s dashboard.
The assistant is powered by Google’s Gemini large language models, designed to comprehend and generate human-like responses. It leverages data from Volkswagen’s owner manuals and instructional YouTube videos on vehicle maintenance, all supported by Google’s robust cloud computing capabilities.
Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud, highlighted the project’s complexity, noting that integrating diverse data types like text, images, and videos presents substantial technical challenges. “Combining these various forms of data to provide seamless assistance is a significant achievement in AI and cloud computing,” he said.
Initially, the AI assistant will be accessible to approximately 120,000 owners of the Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport models. There are plans to expand the service to additional Volkswagen vehicles from the 2020 model year and beyond by early next year. This collaboration could have a considerable impact on the cloud computing market, where Google is currently ranked third behind Amazon and Microsoft.
Cloud computing remains a critical sector for Google, contributing $33 billion to its total revenue of $307 billion in 2023. While AI solutions have notably boosted revenue, Google has not disclosed specific figures. Volkswagen has also withheld details regarding user engagement with the assistant.
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Google partners, Volkswagen launch smartphone AI assistant for drivers
cgtn.com
