Volkswagen drivers can now ask a dedicated AI virtual assistant questions about their vehicle thanks to its new GenAI partnership with Google Cloud.
By combining Volkswagen’s connected car data with Google Gemini models on Google Cloud’s Vertex AI platform, Volkswagen is offering owners of the vehicles MY24 Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport an AI virtual assistant that can provide advice on their car.
The assistant is located within its ‘myVW’ app, which enables access to control and monitoring tools for key features on VW vehicles.
The car manufacturer said drivers could ask questions such as “How do I change a flat tyre?” or “What does this cockpit light mean?” while using their smartphones to indicate to the AI which light they are referring to.
“We’re driven to introduce new technologies and features that enhance the ownership experience for all of our Volkswagen customers and create love for our vehicles,” said Abdallah Shanti, CIO for Volkswagen Group of America.
“AI is emerging as a utility tool for Volkswagen owners to better understand their vehicles and get answers to questions faster and easier.”
With Google Cloud’s Vertex AI and Big Query, Volkswagen said the Gemini model can retrieve information from multiple data sources. This includes vehicle owner’s manuals, frequently asked customer questions, help centre articles, official Volkswagen YouTube videos and step-by-step guides.
“Volkswagen is setting a new standard for driver experiences by bringing the power of advanced generative AI directly to its customers,” said Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud.
“With the myVW Virtual Assistant built on our AI platform — and using multi-modal capabilities of our Gemini models — all model year 2024 Volkswagen Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport owners now have highly personalised vehicle support at their fingertips.”
Owners of MY20 and new Volkswagen vehicle owners will be able to use the virtual assistant in the app starting in 2025.
Earlier this year, Volkswagen integrated ChatGPT into its vehicles — read about it here.
