Volkswagen expands ID.4 and other models with the voice assistant ChatGPT

Volkswagen is no newcomer to the world of artificial intelligence voice assistants. ChatGPT, the natural language chatbot assistant, is currently available in Europe and will soon be available in the US to support the voice assistant in these cars.

ChatGPT is now available in all electric ID family vehicles in Europe, VW officials said last week. It will also be introduced in European markets in the new Golf, Tiguan and Passat models. For the U.S., a Volkswagen of America spokesperson told InsideEVs that the feature will be available in “most” 2025 model year vehicles that are not yet on sale here.

Many of VW’s current vehicles, including the electric ID.4, feature an AI-powered voice assistant called IDA. I used it in the 2024 Volkswagen ID.4 Pro S I tested last week. IDA is pretty good overall. It can answer general questions, control vehicle functions like air conditioning and window heating, and schedule EV charging en route to your destination. But I would say that Google-powered systems I’ve tried in Volvo and General Motors EVs tend to work better when you ask them complicated questions or ask them to navigate to places with specific names, like restaurants.

Maybe ChatGPT will change that for Volkswagen. VW says it is not in use all the time, but serves as a backup when IDA cannot respond.

“Only if a request cannot be answered by the Volkswagen system is it forwarded anonymously to ChatGPT; the answer is then given in the familiar Volkswagen voice,” VW representatives announced this in a press release.

“With the introduction of ChatGPT, the possibilities have expanded significantly: For example, the AI ​​can provide information about sights, report on past football tournaments or help with solving math problems,” The publication was continued“It all works intuitively: the driver simply speaks to the assistant in natural language and does not have to take his eyes off the road.”

And “eyes on the road” is a big part of the appeal. As cars have gained all these sometimes complicated software-based features—in-car apps, video conferencing, music streaming integration, and countless new driving settings—it’s harder than ever to make sure drivers are paying attention behind the wheel, too. Volkswagen has been scathingly criticized in particular for its ID cars, which replaced almost all physical buttons with screen-based controls and haptic switches. (I’ll say more about that in an upcoming review of the ID.4, but let’s just say they’re as annoying as ever.)

Instead, automakers would rather you press a button to activate voice control, or wake the system with a special phrase and then just tell the car what to do. Generally, I’m a fan of these systems, provided they work well; some are certainly better than others. ChatGPT is increasingly becoming one such voice system for new cars, although VW is breaking new ground by bringing the software to lower-priced vehicles. “Volkswagen is one of the first high-volume manufacturers to bring ChatGPT to its vehicles in collaboration with technology partner Cerence,” the automaker said.

At the same time, OpenAI’s ChatGPT – like most other AI systems with large language models – is generating a lot of controversy. While Wall Street drools over an “AI boom” that has boosted the valuations of companies like chipmaker Nvidia, many users are reporting that AI-powered text prompts and search results are riddled with errors. While the technology is undoubtedly mature, it has so far struggled to distinguish between factual content and, say, satirical articles from The Onion or outright flawed social media posts. Many content creators, creatives, and journalists also fear that the development and proliferation of generative AI could threaten their livelihoods – or even the very premise of human artistic endeavors.

But hey, that’s a lot for the Volkswagen ID.4, which will probably just be asked if it can find a restaurant with decent gluten-free options near a charging station. With any luck, VW’s adoption of ChatGPT will not only be robust and useful, but also accurate.