Even the most advanced AI systems today have trouble delivering accurate information in a sensible fashion, but that hasn’t stopped Volkswagen from swinging for the fences with its new ChatGPT integration. Earlier this year, the automaker announced the feature for European markets, and now, we’re learning that AI is coming to VW’s American fleet.
The integration will debut on September 6 in the 2025 Jetta and Jetta GLI and the 2024 ID.4 with the 82-kWh battery pack. VW said other ID.4 owners would have access later this year. Most 2025 Volkswagens will eventually get the feature, including the Taos, Golf GTI and Golf R, ID. Buzz, and Tiguan. Owners will have to sign up for a Plus Speech with AI subscription to gain access to the features, but the automaker is offering a three-year free trial for the two ID models and a one-year trial for some others. Jetta and Taos owners must purchase the subscription from the get-go.
Based on Cerence Chat Pro, the system lets users control the navigation, change songs and other infotainment settings, set climate control options, and ask questions about general knowledge topics. Though it requires a “Hello IDA” or “Hello Volkswagen” voice prompt from the user, VW said that other functions are controlled through more conversational prompts, such as telling the system that you are chilly to turn up the heat. If a user asks a question the system can’t process locally, it connects to a cloud server, where Cerence Chat Pro processes it and delivers a result.
All of this sounds very creepy, even for those of us who are relatively on board with the march of technological improvements. The good news is that VW’s AI integration won’t access vehicle data, so there’s no robot overlord monitoring your driving habits. Even so, do we really need to be more connected with our vehicles than we already are?
