Imagine chatting with your car like you would with a friend. That's the future automakers are promising with new AI assistants powered by technology similar to ChatGPT. Drivers like Brendan Rickert, who finds his current car's voice assistant more irritating than helpful, might be won over by these smarter, more conversational assistants. But will they live up to the hype?

Car companies are betting big on these new assistants, hoping to make driving safer and more enjoyable. They want to help you send text messages when you're running late or even keep you entertained with engaging conversations. But drivers are skeptical. After all, AI assistants have disappointed in the past.

One big concern is data privacy. Cars collect a lot of personal information, and the auto industry isn't known for its stellar data protection record. To address this, some companies like Volkswagen are promising not to retain data after each conversation.

At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, companies showed off their new AI-powered cars. Sony and Honda's Afeela 1 EV has a "Personal Agent" that can suggest activities and enjoy conversations. BMW demonstrated cars with a more advanced Amazon Alexa. And Nvidia and Qualcomm showed off new chips designed to run these AI voice apps.

But with so many assistants out there, things can get confusing. Some cars come with multiple assistants, like Amazon's Alexa and Google Assistant in the Polestar 2. Add Siri from Apple Car Play, and you've got a crowd of voices trying to help.

The goal is to make controlling your car more intuitive. With the new AI systems, you can talk naturally and ask for what you want directly. The assistant will figure out the rest. For example, you could ask, "Do I have time to stop at Starbucks on my way to the meeting? " and the assistant would check your schedule, route, traffic, and nearby coffee shops to give you a simple yes or no.

Even skeptics like Rickert can see the potential. Being able to tell your car to start heating up before you arrive at a restaurant could be a game-changer. But will these new AI assistants deliver on their promises? Only time will tell.

ChatGPT in Cars: A New Era of Conversational Assistants

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