CES 2024 Shifts Car AI Focus Away From Self-Driving Toward Better Voice Assistants
Rather than pushing autonomous driving, automakers at CES 2024 showcase AI that improves communication between drivers and their vehicles. Major brands like Mercedes and Volkswagen announce plans to integrate ChatGPT into their in-car voice assistants.
CES 2024 highlights a major shift in how artificial intelligence integrates into vehicles, moving away from the long-promised dream of fully autonomous self-driving cars. Instead of focusing on robots taking the wheel, automakers showcase AI systems designed to improve communication and interaction between the car and the driver.
Mercedes leads this trend by expanding its plans to incorporate ChatGPT into its MBUX Virtual Assistant through a next-generation MB.OS operating system. This upgrade allows drivers to use natural language to control vehicle features without relying on strict, preset voice commands, making the in-car experience highly personalized.
Other major automakers quickly follow suit with similar AI enhancements. Volkswagen announces that ChatGPT becomes a standard feature in many of its U.S. models starting in the second quarter of 2024, while BMW reveals its own natural language voice assistant alongside new augmented reality entertainment features.