Some companies are working on futuristic cars that can fly and others that will drive themselves. Mercedes-Benz Group AG is ready to sell one you can have a conversation with.
Through a partnership with Alphabet Inc.’s Google, the automaker plans to roll out a new CLA coupe that incorporates an artificial intelligence-based “virtual assistant” to give directions and answer drivers’ questions. Mercedes says the car, available later this year, will be able to find destinations even for vague prompts, like a highly rated restaurants or a reliable electric vehicle charger.
“Think about that virtual assistant as your personal butler in the car to do anything and everything in the car,” Mercedes Chief Executive Officer Ola Källenius said in a phone interview. He likened it to Jarvis, the fictional AI assistant used by the superhero Iron Man.
The Mercedes-Google system, which has been years in the making, could go a step beyond the navigation-on-command services already offered in many vehicles. The so-called MBUX Virtual Assistant is designed to listen to the driver and use AI to offer suggestions even without a clear prompt. For instance, it could scour online reviews for nearby eateries to help users find a place to eat dinner, and even figure out what dish the chef is best known for.
“Let’s say we’re going to an Italian restaurant. Traffic is bad,” said Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud. “Can you tell me if there is one that is like it nearby? It will find it. The system can help you find things that you didn’t navigate.”
Mercedes plans to roll it out in Europe this summer and add the system to U.S, vehicles in the fall.