ChatGPT’s Latest Invasion: Cars; A Threat to OpenAI’s Nonprofit Status

It won’t surprise anyone that artificial intelligence, the hottest subject in tech, is also big at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, underway in Las Vegas. Among the silly and wondrous AI-powered devices unveiled so far: A one-foot-tall robot from LG that can patrol your home for open windows or switch off the lights when you’re out; a telephone-booth-esque device that enables you to speak to a holograph of the person you’re calling, which makes it feel like that person is in the room with you (similar to Google’s Project Starline); and an AI-powered pillow that prevents snoring by inflating itself to unblock its users’ airways. 

But the one that caught my eye the most came, unexpectedly, from the automotive industry. Volkswagen announced that it would be adding a ChatGPT-powered chatbot to new Tiguan, Passat and Golf vehicles, as well as to the company’s line of EVs, starting in the second quarter of this year. Drivers will ostensibly be able to give voice commands to control the car’s infotainment, navigation and air conditioning, and ask general knowledge questions. The chatbot will abstain from profanity, sex and other sensitive topics, such as the Israel-Hamas war—not that you have any great reasons to ask your car about those things.

VW’s announcement is meant to generate buzz and headlines like the one in this newsletter, of course, but it’s a reminder of how quickly things have changed in the past year, including the fast rise of OpenAI’s ChatGPT as a consumer brand. (The VW chatbot is named Ida, but the company is promoting Ida’s use of ChatGPT in its marketing.) In previous years, car companies were all about incorporating software from Apple and Google, including those companies’ voice assistants. (For instance, General Motors added Amazon’s Alexa to its vehicles in 2020, and Volkswagen has historically had integrations with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.)