Stellantis extends ChatGPT to Alfa Romeo, Citroen

Providers of AI-powered voice recognition software are gaining more traction with car companies as they look to improve often-clunky voice assistant technology.

California-based SoundHound said on July 30 it had added Alfa Romeo and Citroen to Peugeot and Opel/Vauxhall among Stellantis' brands that are embedding the company's SoundHound Chat AI voice assistant with integrated ChatGPT into new models.

The Alfa Romeo Junior small SUV will be equipped the feature across multiple European markets, as will the Citroen C4, C4X, C5X, Berlingo, and SpaceTourer vehicles, the company said.

Chatbots such as ChatGPT use artificial intelligence to provide a more natural response to questions and can scour the internet for wide-ranging answers when connected to the cloud. They can also interpret commands to operate functions within the car.

"The application of large language models (LLMs) to the vehicle's voice assistant will eventually lead to a redefinition of the entire vehicle's HMI," Gartner automotive analyst Pedro Pacheco told Automotive News Europe. "While today that capability is mostly limited to answering general knowledge questions, in the future LLMs will turn the voice assistant into a real personal assistant."

SoundHound's big rival in the sector is Massachusetts-based Cerence, which has secured contracts with Volkswagen Group to supply its Cerence Chat Pro with integrated ChatGPT to several group brands.

VW Group announced the partnership at the CES electronics show at Las Vegas in January.

Customers can control functions in their vehicle without touching a button, as well as ask more questions, for example, about their destination.

"Really good voice control is a very difficult challenge. We are convinced that this can only work with large language models based on AI," VW brand technical development chief Kai Gruenitz said.

The ChatGPT function was installed in the new 8.5 version of the VW Golf and was developed in just three months, Gruenitz  added.

The Cerence technology is being installed on the latest models on the VW Group's MEB electric platform as well as the new MQB Evo combustion engine platform. Cars include the VW ID7 as well as the new Tiguan and Passat.

Audi, meanwhile, has said it has embedded the system into its new A6 electric sedan and station wagon on the Premium Platform Electric (PPE) architecture. The Audi Assistant connects to the cloud via the Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service.

Audi said its AI assistant automatically recognizes whether it needs to execute a vehicle function, search for a destination, or, for example, provide the weather forecast.  

Meanwhile, Mercedes-Benz said in June 2023 it would add ChatGPT to make voice control via its voice assistant more intuitive. An optional beta program for U.S. customers began that month for more than 900,000 vehicles equipped with the MBUX infotainment system. Mercedes integrated ChatGPT through Microsoft's Azure OpenAI Service to gain access to the cloud.

Mercedes told Automotive News Europe that it has taken the next step with its beta program in the U.S, which now offers expanded search capabilities and additional functionality.

For example, participants can get information about live events in their area – such upcoming concerts or sporting events. They can also get real-time vehicle information, recommendations and check on facts and figures, a Mercedes spokesperson said in an email reply to questions.

ChatGPT is currently not available in Mercedes' models sold Europe. A company spokesperson, however, said that starting next year Mercedes will put the MBUX virtual assistant in series production beginning with vehicles on the forthcoming Mercedes-Benz Modular Architecture (MMA), such as the new CLA.

Also in 2023, General Motors said it was exploring uses for ChatGPT as part of its broader collaboration with Microsoft.

Nvidia chips

SoundHound said it was working with chipmaker Nvidia to run its LLM model completely within Nvidia's Drive computer chip.

The advantage of running the system on a so-called edge computer in the car is that it maintains the functionality even when the car has lost connection with the cloud, a common occurrence in more remote areas.

Cerence has also said it is working with Nvidia to run its system on the Drive chip.

SoundHound and Cerence compete with Google and Apple, which supply their voice assistants to their respective Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring systems.

Many automakers, however, have sought to provide their own alternatives to the Google and Apple products with the promise of a more embedded system that links with more functions in the car.