Proof of the success of the generative artificial intelligence It is its increasing ubiquity. It is no longer just about being able to use them on computers and mobile phones, but also in carssomething that several manufacturers have already signed up for this year that is now ending. Thus, the group formed by Volkswagen, DS Automobiles and Skodawhich already have models on the market with different levels of integration with ChatGPT3 million Mercedes-Benz vehicles now join.
In 2023, the brand announced that the voice assistant of the MBUXacronym in English for Mercedes-Benz User Experience System, was going to improve with the integration of ChatGPT through the service Azure OpenAI. In a first phase, it has been tested through an open beta program in the US for more than 900,000 vehicles and today he announced that ChatGPT integration now available as a free update for more than three million vehicles with the MBUX infotainment system.
This new voice experience will be offered in German, British and American English. In Spain, users will need to change the application language to one of those mentioned in order to use the integration with ChatGPT. The manufacturer has not commented on the availability of the new assistant in other languages.
Mercedes-Benz goes beyond the basic use of OpenAI’s ChatGPT for this new functionality. Instead, it has built this voice experience on top of Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI service, leveraging both ChatGPT and Microsoft Bing. In this way, users can expect up-to-date answers to questions, based on information from the Internet. Additionally, this voice experience is ‘context aware’allowing users ask follow-up questions based on the answers obtained.
Markus SchäferHead of Technology, Development and Purchasing at Mercedes-Benz AG Group, said in a statement that ‘by adding an AI-powered insight function to our MBUX Voice Assistant, we make Make it even easier for customers to connect with their vehicle in an entertaining and rewarding way. Our AI software seamlessly interacts with ChatGPT and Bing through Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI service to deliver insights like never before. This is further proof on our path towards a hyper-personalized in-car user experience.’
With the integration of ChatGPT, passengers of a Mercedes-Benz will be able to ask all kinds of questions and talk about a wide variety of topics. After installing the latest update, users need to activate the MBUX wizard by saying ‘Hey Mercedes’. Alternatively, they can press the voice button on the steering wheel to use it. Mercedes-Benz has explained that stores conversation history for up to one hourmaking it easy to ask follow-up questions when necessary.