During CES 2024, Volkswagen unveiled its artificial intelligence plans by incorporating ChatGPT into its infotainment software, aiming to enhance voice assistance functionality. In contrast, Volvo has already integrated Google Assistant, enabling seamless voice commands for tasks such as adjusting heating controls and setting fan speeds. Volkswagen’s collaboration with ChatGPT appears to acknowledge a gap in its in-house software development.

ChatGPT will soon be accessible to customers in North America and Europe starting early in the second quarter, according to VW. The enhanced voice assistant can manage in-car entertainment and respond to general knowledge queries. Moreover, the company envisions future developments where ChatGPT could engage in conversations with drivers and interact in various other ways.

The feature is set to be introduced through an over-the-air update. VW assures that ChatGPT does not obtain access to any vehicle data, and furthermore, all questions and answers are promptly deleted. Approach Volkswagen’s privacy assurances with a high degree of scepticism. The foundational principles of AI algorithms necessitate the retention of user data for learning and improvement purposes.

Any software engineer will tell you that the key to enhancing AI capabilities and providing a smoother user experience lies in learning from stored user data. In this pursuit, Volkswagen will exploit legal loopholes to sidestep privacy laws. Always remember that corporations, despite the appearance of goodwill, are not your best friends seeking to improve life for all humankind.

The commodity at stake is not physical, but rather the valuable resource of user data which is the equivalent of a digital gold rush. The data that you sign away is not private and it is for resale. Yet, the digital gold rush appears dwarfed in significance when compared to the ascension of artificial intelligence, which stands out as the emerging new black gold.