Volkswagen has announced the establishment of its own artificial intelligence lab, reflecting the increasing interest of car manufacturers in adopting this technology.
The German car company, in a press statement, stated that its new artificial intelligence lab is an active hub connected to a global network and a showcase of innovation in the field of technology surrounding car innovations.
Artificial intelligence labs are research and development centers aimed at exploring and advancing artificial intelligence. Examples of these labs include OpenAI, which received financial support worth billions of dollars from Microsoft, and DeepMind, which merged with Google in 2014.
Volkswagen stated that it intends to apply innovations from its lab in artificial intelligence to its cars, with the aim of making them intelligent.
Olivier Blume, CEO of Volkswagen Group and Porsche, said: “We seek to provide real added value to our customers using smart technology, and our goal is to connect external digital ecosystems with the vehicle, creating a superior user experience.”
The company has no plans to produce production models, although it intends to hold discussions with partners about licensing its artificial intelligence technology for use in their cars. No potential partner has been mentioned by Volkswagen.
The car manufacturing company also announced that some artificial intelligence solutions being pursued in the lab focus on improving the charging of electric vehicles, predictive car maintenance, and connecting vehicles to customers’ homes through internet-connected devices.
The company also indicated that it is exploring the use of voice recognition inside the car using artificial intelligence technologies.
This announcement comes as other car companies are aggressively moving towards enhancing technological capabilities and making cars smart through the use of artificial intelligence.
The French car manufacturer DS began integrating ChatGPT into its cars at the end of last year, while Mercedes and Microsoft started testing ChatGPT support inside the car in early June 2023.
At the same time, the Chinese company BYD launched a smart car system that uses artificial intelligence to compete with advanced technologies like automatic parking systems.
Volkswagen’s release of its artificial intelligence lab reflects the ambitions of car manufacturers who have established research units in artificial intelligence or invested in them.
This move may make Volkswagen more independent, reducing its reliance on artificial intelligence programs provided by major technology companies like Microsoft, Apple, Google, and Amazon.
Volkswagen has invested efforts in the field of artificial intelligence, having previously announced the integration of ChatGPT technology into its cars, and the car manufacturer collaborated with OpenAI as a technology partner, instead of relying on its own technology.
The German company can define its future regarding the adoption of artificial intelligence by establishing its own artificial intelligence lab, despite facing challenges in competing with upcoming technical innovations from advanced research labs like OpenAI.
