Like other auto giants, Volkswagen is pushing hard into the field of artificial intelligence to improve its technology and make its cars smarter.
Ismail Aslanda | Anadolu, Getty Images
german car manufacturer Volkswagen The company said on Wednesday it had built its own artificial intelligence lab, reflecting the auto industry’s growing ambitions to adopt the popular technology.
Volkswagen said in a press release that its new artificial intelligence laboratory will serve as a “globally networked competence center and incubator” to conduct proof-of-concepts in innovative automotive technologies.
The Artificial Intelligence Laboratory is a research and development center that explores breakthroughs in artificial intelligence. Common examples of such labs include OpenAI Labs, which Microsoft invested billions of dollars in supporting, and DeepMind Labs, which Alphabet’s tech giant Google acquired in 2014.
Volkswagen claims it will apply artificial intelligence innovations from its labs to its own cars to make them smarter.
Oliver Blume, CEO of Volkswagen Group and Porsche AG, said: “We want to offer our customers real added value through artificial intelligence. Our goal is to connect external digital ecosystems with the vehicle. Create a better product experience.”
“Collaboration with technology companies is crucial for us. In the future, we intend to simplify cooperation both organizationally and culturally.”
Volkswagen does not plan to build any production models of its own, but the company intends to negotiate with partners to license its proprietary artificial intelligence technology for use in its vehicles. Volkswagen did not name any potential partners.
The automaker said some of the artificial intelligence solutions pursued by the lab will involve optimizing electric vehicle charging, predictive vehicle maintenance and connecting vehicles to customers’ homes through network-connected devices.
The company also said it will explore the use of artificial intelligence for in-car voice recognition.
The news comes as other car companies are pushing into the field of artificial intelligence to improve their technology and make their cars smarter.
French car manufacturer DS Automotive Start integrating ChatGPT into their vehicles end of last year. Mercedes-Benz and Microsoft began testing in-car ChatGPT support as early as June 2023. Meanwhile, Chinese electric vehicle giant BYD has launched a smart car system driven by artificial intelligence to better compete with rivals in advanced technologies such as automatic parking.
Reduce dependence on tech giants
The launch of Volkswagen’s AI lab echoes the ambitions of established tech companies that have established or invested in their own AI research units. The move could make Volkswagen more independent and less dependent on external artificial intelligence software from technology giants such as Microsoft, Apple, Google and Amazon.
Volkswagen has expanded its work in artificial intelligence, recently announcing it would integrate ChatGPT into its vehicles at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. As part of this, the automaker is relying on OpenAI as a technology partner rather than relying on its own proprietary technology.
By creating an AI lab, Volkswagen will be able to determine its future based on the type of AI it employs — albeit to compete with the level of AI technology offered by its already advanced AI labs. long way to go.
Svlook
