Mercedes-Benz, Microsoft to test ChatGPT in vehicles

Mercedes Benz and Microsoft The two companies announced Thursday that they are partnering to test in-vehicle ChatGPT artificial intelligence, which can be used in more than 900,000 vehicles in the United States.

The luxury automaker said the emerging technology, which will be used for audio requests via the “Hey Mercedes” voice assistant, is expected to greatly expand the system’s capabilities. A Microsoft spokesperson said this is the first time ChatGPT has been implemented in a vehicle.

An optional testing program for U.S. customers will begin on Friday, Mercedes said. Customers can sign up through the company’s app, called Mercedes me, or use the voice command “Hey Mercedes, I’d like to join the beta program” directly in the vehicle.

“While most voice assistants are limited to predefined tasks and responses, ChatGPT leverages a large language model to dramatically improve natural language understanding and expand the topics it can respond to,” the automaker said. said in a press release.

Similar to other industries, the potential application of ChatGPT in the automotive industry has also attracted more and more discussions.Although some, for example General MotorsSaying their self-driving cars already leverage advanced artificial intelligence, or machine learning, the Mercedes partnership marks one of the first specific use cases for ChatGPT.

GM said earlier this year that it was exploring the use cases of ChatGPT in its vehicles as part of a broader collaboration with Microsoft, an investor in OpenAI and the inventor of the technology.

Eric Boyd, corporate vice president of Microsoft’s artificial intelligence platform, said the new integration will enhance voice commands and interactions, task functionality, and allow for follow-up questions, among other things.

“Unlike standard voice assistants, which often require specific commands, ChatGPT excels at handling follow-up questions and maintaining contextual understanding. Drivers can ask complex queries or engage in multi-turn conversations, receiving detailed and relevant responses from the voice assistant.” Boyd wrote in a blog post.

Based on the results of the three-month test program and customer feedback, Mercedes will consider further integration of the technology, the companies said.