Cerence, a developer of AI-based voice assistant technology for automobiles, has partnered with global automaker Volkswagen to bring its advanced AI conversation technology Cerence Chat Pro to Volkswagen drivers.

The integration will allow drivers and passengers to interact with the in-car assistant in a more conversational, natural way. This AI-powered tool can answer a wide range of queries, with the potential to enhance both productivity and entertainment during journeys.

Volkswagen plans to be the first automaker leveraging this technology, and it will be introduced across the current MEB and MQB evo models. Both companies aim to create a user-friendly model that combines voice and touch inputs for safer drives.

Analyst QuickTake: The automotive industry is among many to have witnessed an increasing discourse surrounding the possibilities of incorporating GenAI technologies. In fact, Continental and General Motors (GM) partnered with Google Cloud in September and August 2023, respectively, to bring GenAI technologies to the automotive industry. GM also announced that it was exploring the use of ChatGPT (in partnership with Microsoft, an investor in OpenAI) in March 2023 to improve vehicle user experience. Mercedes-Benz also partnered with Microsoft in June 2023 to test in-car ChatGPT AI on vehicles.