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On Tue, 14 Jan, 12:03 AM UTC
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[1]
Mercedes-Benz and Google Gemini will help you outsmart traffic and bad restaurants
The upgrade uses Google Gemini for real-time, personalized help. Google's dream of making its Gemini AI your road trip pal is becoming more real, at least if you own a Mercedes-Benz. Google Cloud's Automotive AI Agent is making its debut in Mercedes-Benz's updated MBUX Virtual Assistant. The assistant is built on Google's Gemini AI to offer nuanced, conversational support. The value is easy to understand. If you're on the road and hungry you could just ask your car, "Where's the best Italian place around here?" Not only would you hear some options, but the AI would take the initiative to add, "The lasagna gets rave reviews, but avoid the tiramisu, it's a little too soggy." The Automotive AI Agent is designed to handle multi-turn conversations and even remember the context of your previous chats. So, if hours after you ask about Italian restaurants, you inquire, "Are any of those places you mentioned before open late?" the AI won't act like you're starting from scratch. And the AI does know quite a lot partly because of Gemini's earlier integration with Google Maps. That means the AI can offer live traffic updates, nearby points of interest, and alternate routes. If you're stuck in a traffic jam, the car might suggest a quicker way home that keeps in mind your preference for avoiding toll roads. Google and Mercedes are betting that the ability of automotive AI agents to process complex queries and provide accurate, context-aware answers will make a difference when people decide what kind of car to buy. By making interactions smoother, more intuitive, and useful, this AI could make your drive easier. No more stopping on the shoulder to Google "nearest gas station," and no more arguments about whose turn it was to check the directions. That said, there's a fine line between helpful and creepy. The assistant remembers conversations, which is great when it's reminding you about that vegan café your partner wanted to try - but what happens when it casually recalls your midnight McDonald's run from three weeks ago? The balance between utility and privacy will be a key factor in whether drivers fully embrace this technology.
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One of Google Gemini's first AI agents is like a personal butler for luxury cars
Google tries a questionable new tactic to promote Gemini in Google Messages Summary Mercedes is teaming up with Google to bring AI-powered conversational smarts to its navigation system. The new AI tech will first appear in the Mercedes CLA, using Google's Gemini AI and syncing with Google Maps for natural conversations. After the CLA, the tech will roll out across more Mercedes models, with no need for a separate Google account since it's already integrated into the navigation. ✕ Remove Ads The rapid rise of AI isn't just transforming smartphones -- it's steering straight into the auto industry, too. Carmakers are racing to bring advanced AI tech into their vehicles, and Mercedes-Benz is leading the charge. At CES 2024, the automaker revealed an upgraded MBUX Virtual Assistant, aiming to set a new standard for human-like interaction in cars. Now, with a fresh partnership with Google, Mercedes is taking things further by adding AI-powered conversational smarts to its navigation system. Related Google unleashes Gemini 2.0 with new image and audio powers for the AI agent era Almost exactly one year after Gemini 1.0 Posts Mercedes-Benz is one of the first to hop on board with Google Cloud's Automotive AI Agent, as per Google's blog post. This tech is set to redefine in-car voice commands. For example, Mercedes drivers can easily find charging stations and handle all kinds of mapping tasks just by talking naturally. ✕ Remove Ads The new AI tech will first roll out in the upcoming Mercedes-Benz CLA. Powered by Google's Gemini AI chatbot, it syncs up with Google Maps to let drivers have more natural conversations. You can ask things like, "Could you guide me to the nearest fine-dining restaurant for a unique culinary experience?" and then follow up with, "Does the restaurant have good reviews?" or "What time do they close?" All the answers will show up right on the car's display, making it feel like you're talking to a real person. After launching in the CLA, the AI will slowly roll out across more Mercedes-Benz models with the MBUX Voice Assistant. And you won't need a separate Google account to use the AI-powered Maps, since it's already built into the car's navigation system. Mercedes wants to make interactions feel more human and effortless In a press release, Mercedes-Benz highlighted that the Automotive AI Agent is built on Google Maps Platform, which has data on 250 million locations around the world. This tech can keep up with more complex conversations, remembering what you've asked so it can keep the chat flowing without missing a beat. ✕ Remove Ads More importantly, this update makes chatting with your car feel way more natural. You don't have to worry about getting the words just right -- just ask like you would to a friend. As car AI gets smarter, it's ditching the old, stiff commands and picking up on more casual, real-life conversations, making the whole experience feel way more human.
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No More Boring Drives with Mercedes-Benz's New Google-Powered AI Agent
Mercedes-Benz has partnered with Google Cloud to integrate conversational search and navigation powered by generative AI into its MBUX Virtual Assistant. The Automotive AI Agent, built on Gemini and Vertex AI, is specifically designed for the automotive industry and leverages Google Maps Platform to provide users with more detailed and personalised responses about navigation and points of interest. The Automotive AI Agent is built utilising Google Maps Platform's extensive database of 250 million global locations. It can process complex, multi-turn dialogues and retain the memory of user conversations, enabling seamless interactions. Speaking about the partnership, Ola Källenius, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Group AG, said, "At Mercedes-Benz, we seek to offer our customers an exceptional digital experience. Our partnership with Google Cloud will further enhance in-car navigation, combining sophisticated location data with generative AI." The AI-powered system allows drivers to ask detailed questions and receive personalised responses. For instance, users can query the MBUX Virtual Assistant for nearby fine-dining restaurants and ask follow-up questions like, "Does the restaurant have good reviews?" or "What is the chef's signature dish?" "Mercedes-Benz is known for providing an amazing driving experience, and our partnership will bring cutting-edge AI breakthroughs to make those experiences even better. This is just the beginning of how agentic capabilities can transform the automotive industry," said Google chief Sundar Pichai. The first deployment of the new system will appear in the upcoming Mercedes-Benz CLA later this year, marking the debut of the company's MB.OS operating system. Additional rollouts to other models with the MBUX Voice Assistant are planned. Google Cloud's Automotive AI Agent uses multimodal reasoning for natural language interactions and sources data from Google Maps Platform, which is updated nearly in real-time with over 100 million daily updates. In 2023, Mercedes-Benz and Google formed a partnership where Google Maps supplies the geospatial data and navigation services, while Mercedes uses Google Cloud's AI tools to efficiently develop and apply AI models. The same year, Mercedes also announced that it going to add OpenAI's ChatGPT within its in-house multimedia system MBUX Voice Assistant as part of an exclusive beta program available only in the US. This allowed drivers of more than 900,000 vehicles equipped with MBUX to engage in more dynamic conversations with the onboard AI.
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Google Teams up with Mercedes-Benz for AI-Powered Conversational Features - Phandroid
With the continued expansion of AI-based software capabilities to different forms of electronic devices and platforms, it was only a matter of time before we saw it on automotive platforms. That being said, Mercedes-Benz recently announced that it's expanding its partnership with Google Cloud to bring new features to the MBUX Virtual Assistant. More specifically, both companies have been working on new conversational capabilities to MBUX via Google Cloud's new Automotive AI Agent, which in turn is developed with Gemini on Vertex AI. With the new upgrade, users will be able to directly converse with their in-vehicle navigation system regarding queries about directions, information about their destination and trip, and more. READ: Google Sneakily Adds in UI Changes to Android Auto For example, a user might ask the MBUX Virtual Assistant to get them directions to nearby restaurants, and then add follow-up questions about the restaurant itself such as customer reviews, menus, and such. The underlying AI system will also be able to handle multi-turn dialogue and even retain memory of key conversations and references. The new feature will be available on Mercedes-Benz's new CLA series later this year, and the company adds that it will also roll out its first-ever smart operating system alongside the CLA models' launch.
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Google Cloud's Automotive AI Agent arrives for Mercedes-Benz
Today Google Cloud is unveiling Automotive AI Agent, a new way for automakers to create helpful generative AI experiences. Built using Gemini with Vertex AI, Automotive AI Agent is specially tuned to allow automakers to create highly personalized and intuitive in-car agents that go beyond current vehicle voice control. Its ability to provide multimodal reasoning and multilingual support enables assistants that can enable natural conversations and agentic responses like "Is there an Italian restaurant nearby?" as well as follow-up questions like, "Does the restaurant have good reviews?" or "What is the most popular dish there?" Mercedes-Benz is among the first automakers to implement Automotive AI Agent in its MBUX Virtual Assistant, coming to the new Mercedes-Benz CLA later this year. The enhanced MBUX Virtual Assistant, which offers fresh and factual information from Google Maps Platform, will allow drivers and passengers to use voice commands to obtain comprehensive and personalized information about points of interest, traffic conditions and more, within seconds. Google Cloud's Automotive AI Agent will also enable the MBUX Virtual Assistant to handle complex, multi-turn dialogue and can remember conversations, so drivers can stop and start speaking and it will be able to pick up where you left off. Learn more about Automotive AI Agent, as well as our partnership with Mercedes Benz.
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Google Cloud and Mercedes-Benz Partnership for AI-Driven Customer Experiences
4. Create AI-driven vehicles and assist in the development of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). is collaborating with Mercedes-Benz to integrate AI tools across all operations, enhancing the customer experience. Some key initiatives include: E-Commerce Solutions: A smart sales assistant powered by generative AI helps customers select the right car, schedule test drives, and even initiate purchases on the Mercedes-Benz website. Customer Service: Mercedes-Benz utilizes Google's, Dialogflow, in its U.S. call centers. This technology processes over a million calls in more than 30 languages, significantly improving efficiency. Personalized Marketing: Google Cloud's AI, along with generative tools like Vertex AI and Gemini models, is employed to make marketing campaigns more tailored to customer needs. Vehicle Intelligence: By leveraging Google Cloud's data processing capabilities, Mercedes-Benz is advancing its Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) and developing more intelligent vehicles.
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Google, Mercedes Partnership Adds Conversational AI to Cars | PYMNTS.com
The artificial intelligence agent is designed for the auto industry and can reference information from Google Maps to give drivers more detailed and personalized conversational responses about things like navigation and points of interest, per the release. "Google Maps platform provides Mercedes-Benz owners with fresh and factual information about 250 million places around the world, and the map is updated nearly in real time, with over 100 million updates made to the map each day," the release said. Users can converse with the MBUX and get answers to queries like "Could you guide me to the nearest fine-dining restaurant for a unique culinary experience?" and then ask follow-up questions, such as "Does the restaurant have good reviews?" according to the release. The new experience will be available as part of the virtual assistants built into Mercedes-Benz's new CLA series later in the year, per the release. "Google Cloud's Automotive AI Agent will also enable the MBUX Virtual Assistant to handle complex, multi-turn dialog and can retain memory of conversations, which means users can continue conversations and reference information throughout their drives," the release said. The announcement is an extension of an earlier partnership announced between Google and Mercedes in 2023. Partnerships between tech giants and car companies are transforming vehicles into "interconnected, software-driven products," a movement being fueled by AI, PYMNTS reported this month. Evidence of this digital transformation was on display at the 2025 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, where speakers discussed the software-focused reinvention hitting the automotive sector. "The biggest change is the increasing importance of software," Rivian Chief Software Officer Wassym Bensaid said during the show. "It defines the entire experience. I actually really love the comparison with smartphones because the big picture in the auto space is seeing a similar disruption to what happened in the phone space 20 years ago. It's not about the specs of your engine. It's about the types of experiences and features your car can offer."
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Google's new Agent will power Mercedes' next in-car AI assistant
Google Cloud released its new Automotive AI Agent on Monday and has named the Mercedes-Benz CLA as the first car model to offer it later this year. The Agent will enable Mercedes' MBUX Virtual Assistant to perform a wider array of conversational functions with the vehicle's passengers. We got our first look at Mercedes' next generation assistant a year ago, at CES 2024, though the company did not reveal which large language model underpinned its capabilities at the time. This new assistant differs from the existing MBUX that can activate around two dozen in-car commands and provide information sourced from ChatGPT and Bing. While the current generation assistant can be activated by stating "Hey, Mercedes," it functions more like Siri or Google Assistant than ChatGPT's Advanced Voice Mode, offering static responses rather than conversational replies. Recommended Videos Google's Agent is built atop the Gemini LLM using Vertex AI and is geared specifically to "allow automakers to create highly personalized and intuitive in-car agents that go beyond current vehicle voice control," per the company's announcement post. The Agent supports both multimodal and multilingual inputs, as well as can provide answers to follow-up questions. In Google's example, the AI will be able to tell drivers if there are any Italian restaurants nearby, then offer up reviews of the establishment and even tell you what the most popular dish there is. The system is reportedly robust enough to handle multi-turn dialog with users and remember details from previous conversations. The new MBUX assistant will reportedly pull "fresh and factual information" from Google Maps in near real time to offer "comprehensive and personalized information" about more than 250 million points of interest worldwide and current traffic conditions. "At Mercedes-Benz, we seek to offer our customers an exceptional digital experience," said Ola Källenius, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Group AG, in a press statement. "Our partnership with Google Cloud will further enhance in-car navigation, combining sophisticated location data with generative AI." Mercedes plans to roll out the new MBUX assistant to additional models in the future, but has not yet specified which ones it will be integrated into.
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Mercedes-Benz enhances MBUX with Google AI By Investing.com
STUTTGART - Mercedes-Benz (OTC:MBGAF) has partnered with Google Cloud to upgrade the MBUX Virtual Assistant in its vehicles, integrating advanced conversational AI capabilities. This development, expected to debut with the new CLA series later in the year, will leverage Google Cloud's Automotive AI Agent to provide drivers with more detailed and personalized responses during navigation. The AI Agent, developed on Google's Gemini models, is designed to understand and process complex, multi-turn dialogues, allowing users to ask follow-up questions and receive relevant information without interruption. The integration with Google Maps Platform means the system can access real-time updates from a vast database of 250 million places, ensuring drivers have the most current information at their fingertips. Ola Källenius, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Group AG, stated that the collaboration aims to offer customers a superior digital experience, combining Google's sophisticated location data with generative AI to deliver comprehensive and personalized navigation information swiftly. Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL), emphasized the potential of AI to transform in-vehicle experiences, making interactions with digital assistants more natural and effective. The partnership is set to push the boundaries of what is possible with automotive AI technology. The MBUX Virtual Assistant's new features will not only enable users to find points of interest but also to engage in a more interactive dialogue about these destinations. For example, drivers can inquire about restaurant reviews or specific dishes and receive up-to-date responses displayed through the vehicle's native interface. This initiative marks a significant step in the evolution of in-car assistance, with the MBUX system's ability to retain the context of conversations, providing a seamless conversational experience throughout the drive. The upcoming Mercedes-Benz CLA will be the first to feature the new AI-enhanced Point-of-Interest search and navigation, part of the newly developed Mercedes-Benz operating system, MB.OS. Plans for extending these capabilities to other models with the MBUX Voice Assistant are also underway. The information for this report is based on a press release statement.
[10]
Mercedes-Benz and Google Partner on AI-powered Conversational Search within Navigation Systems
Enter your email to get Benzinga's ultimate morning update: The PreMarket Activity NewsletterThe partnership will enable drivers to have natural-language conversations with the MBUX Virtual Assistant to get information from Google Maps Platform about nearby points of interest and moreMercedes-Benz is one of the first automakers to use Google Cloud's new Automotive AI Agent solution STUTTGART, Germany and SUNNYVALE, Calif., Jan. 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Mercedes-Benz and Google Cloud today announced the expansion of their strategic partnership to introduce new conversational capabilities to the MBUX Virtual Assistant, powered by Google Cloud's new Automotive AI Agent. Built using Gemini on Vertex AI, Google Cloud's Automotive AI Agent is specially tuned for the automotive industry and can reference information from Google Maps Platform to give users more detailed and personalised conversational responses about navigation, points of interest, and more. Google Maps Platform provides Mercedes-Benz owners with fresh and factual information about 250 million places around the world, and the map is updated nearly in real time, with over 100 million updates made to the map each day. With the enhanced search and navigation experience, users can converse naturally with the MBUX Virtual Assistant and get answers to questions like: "Could you guide me to the nearest fine-dining restaurant for a unique culinary experience?". Users can also ask follow up questions, like: "Does the restaurant have good reviews?" or "What is the chef's signature dish?" and the MBUX Virtual Assistant can respond with accurate, up-to-date information and display navigation details through the vehicle's native interface. The new experience will be available in the MBUX Virtual Assistant, with Mercedes-Benz's new CLA series later this year. Google Cloud's Automotive AI Agent will also enable the MBUX Virtual Assistant to handle complex, multi-turn dialog and can retain memory of conversations, which means users can continue conversations and reference information throughout their drives. "At Mercedes-Benz, we seek to offer our customers an exceptional digital experience. Our partnership with Google Cloud will further enhance in-car navigation, combining sophisticated location data with generative AI.Launching with the new CLA, our next-gen navigation will allow drivers and passengers to use voice commands to obtain comprehensive and personalised information within seconds." Ola Källenius, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Group AG "Mercedes-Benz is known for providing an amazing driving experience, and our partnership will bring cutting edge AI breakthroughs to make those experiences even better. Our new Automotive AI Agent will help drivers navigate and search with in-vehicle assistants, so those interactions are more natural and helpful. This is just the beginning of how agentic capabilities can transform the automotive industry and I'm excited to see our partnership drive progress forward." Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet Google Cloud's Automotive AI Agent enables automakers to leverage the power of generative AI and large language models (LLMs) to build and deploy customized, first-party, voice assistant experiences with state-of-the-art AI quality. Automotive AI Agent was built using Google's Gemini models, which enables multimodal reasoning capabilities through natural language speech interactions and uses information from Google Maps Platform. The new AI-enhanced Point-of-Interest search and navigation feature is coming to the new Mercedes-Benz CLA later this year. It will be the first vehicle designed with the new Mercedes-Benz operating system, MB.OS. A rollout to further models with the MBUX Voice Assistant is also planned. Further information about Mercedes-Benz is available at www.mercedes-benz.com. Press information and digital services for journalists and multipliers can be found on our Mercedes-Benz Media online platform at http://media.mercedes-benz.com. Learn more about current topics and events related to Mercedes-Benz Cars & Vans on our LinkedIn channel under Mercedes-Benz AG | LinkedIn. About Mercedes-Benz AG Mercedes-Benz AG is part of the Mercedes-Benz Group AG with a total of around 166,000 employees worldwide and is responsible for the global business of Mercedes-Benz Cars and Mercedes-Benz Vans. Ola Källenius is Chairman of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz AG. The company focuses on the development, production and sales of passenger cars, vans and vehicle-related services. Furthermore, the company aspires to be the leader in the fields of electric mobility and vehicle software. The product portfolio comprises the Mercedes-Benz brand with Mercedes-AMG, Mercedes-Maybach and G-Class with their all-electric models as well as products of the smart brand. Mercedes-Benz AG is one of the world's largest manufacturers of luxury passenger cars. In 2023 it sold around two million passenger cars and 447,800 vans. In its two business segments, Mercedes-Benz AG is continually expanding its worldwide production network with more than 30 production sites on four continents, while gearing itself to meet the requirements of electric mobility. At the same time, the company is constructing and extending its global battery production network on three continents. As sustainability is the guiding principle of the Mercedes-Benz strategy and for the company itself, this means creating lasting value for all stakeholders: for customers, employees, investors, business partners and society as a whole. The basis for this is the sustainable business strategy of the Mercedes-Benz Group. The company thus takes responsibility for the economic, ecological and social effects of its business activities and looks at the entire value chain. About Google Cloud Google Cloud is the new way to the cloud, providing AI, infrastructure, developer, data, security, and collaboration tools built for today and tomorrow. Google Cloud offers a powerful, fully integrated and optimized AI stack with its own planet-scale infrastructure, custom-built chips, generative AI models and development platform, as well as AI-powered applications, to help organizations transform. Customers in more than 200 countries and territories turn to Google Cloud as their trusted technology partner. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mercedes-benz-and-google-partner-on-ai-powered-conversational-search-within-navigation-systems-302349089.html SOURCE Google Cloud Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs
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Mercedes Taps Google For AI-Powered 'Conversational Navigation'
In the auto world -- like in just about every other industry -- "AI" is the buzzword of the day. Car companies have been touting new and upcoming artificial intelligence-powered features ever since ChatGPT exploded onto the scene a couple of years ago. Some sound more promising than others. Mercedes-Benz has embraced AI more openly than most peers. It piloted ChatGPT integration in some cars starting last year, then deployed a "general knowledge" function underpinned by OpenAI's large-language model to millions of vehicles. On Monday, Mercedes announced a new AI feature that may prove a lot more useful than the ability to pepper ChatGPT with silly questions. The German automaker will launch a "conversational navigation" feature powered by Google Cloud's new "Automotive AI Agent." We got the download on the new feature from Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius during an event at the automaker's Silicon Valley research center. The result, Mercedes says, is a voice assistant that owners can naturally converse with about destinations like restaurants and charging stations. You can already direct Mercedes' existing MBUX Virtual Assistant to route to a particular point of interest. But in the next generation of the company's infotainment suite, Google's Automotive AI Agent, backed by its Gemini chatbot, will be able to respond to more open-ended questions while mining Google Maps' vast database of reviews and information about destinations. So, the current Mercedes assistant will oblige if you say something simple like, "Find me the nearest Olive Garden." The Google-enhanced one will be able to field more complex queries like, "Where's the best place to pound bread sticks until I feel ill?" Or so I assume. I wasn't able to try out the assistant myself, as it hasn't launched yet. Mercedes' own examples are, understandably, classier. During our preview last week, Mercedes played a video in which Källenius interacts with the new system. The back and forth went like this: Källenius: Hey Mercedes, I'm a little hungry. Any suggestions for dinner in Vegas? Mercedes: I've got you covered. The SW Steakhouse serves prime steaks and seafood and offers a classic and elegant dining experience. Källenius: You know what? I would actually prefer some good Italian food. Oh, and by the way, I would also like to charge my car. Mercedes: Say no more. In this case, Carbone seems to be a great choice. It is known for its bold flavors. It has very high ratings, and customers love the stylish atmosphere. I've also found a good parking option close by that has available fast charging stations. The new capability will debut in the upcoming Mercedes CLA. The CLA will be the first product to use Mercedes' next-generation electrical architecture, EV platform and MB.OS 1.0 software. After that, the conversational navigation program will be deployed to "millions" of cars Mercedes has on the road already via an over-the-air software update, Källenius said. This doesn't mean ChatGPT is going anywhere, though. The two AI systems will handle different tasks, Källenius told InsideEVs. The handoff between them will be seamless and behind the scenes, he said. From the customer point of view, all you do is say "Hey Mercedes" and ask a question. It's all integrated into the brand's existing voice control system. Here's some more about how the feature works and what you can ask it, from Mercedes' press release: With the enhanced search and navigation experience, users can converse naturally with the MBUX Virtual Assistant and get answers to questions like: "Could you guide me to the nearest fine-dining restaurant for a unique culinary experience?". Users can also ask follow-up questions, like: "Does the restaurant have good reviews?" or "What is the chef's signature dish?" Google Cloud's Automotive AI Agent will also enable the MBUX Virtual Assistant to handle complex, multi-turn dialog and can retain memory of conversations, which means users can continue conversations and reference information throughout their drives. I asked Källenius if Mercedes is planning any kind of consumer education around this and other AI features. Despite all the hype around AI, many people -- maybe most -- haven't quite figured out how to incorporate AI assistants into their daily lives. The key there, he said, is to make features easy to use. "Sometimes, as a joke, I tell the engineering team that works on this: It needs to be so easy that either a five-year-old kid or board member of Mercedes-Benz can operate it," he said. "If you meet that criteria, then people intuitively and easily will find out how to operate it." If it's as natural as Mercedes claims it is, I could see this feature being helpful in situations when you're driving and can't just Google something on your phone. In particular, if it can smooth over the process of sifting through charging stations on the go, that would be huge. Many automakers offer voice control features, but they're often limited and clunky. But what do you think? Would you use Mercedes' "conversational navigation?" Let us know in the comments below.
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Mercedes-Benz's Virtual Assistant uses Google's conversational AI agent
Google Cloud's new Automotive AI Agent platform promises to "continue conversations and reference information" throughout users' drives, and the first car announced with it is the new Mercedes CLA. That car has the next-generation MB.OS operating system with an upgraded MBUX Virtual Assistant. When Mercedes revealed it at CES in 2024, it didn't say which company's LLM it was running on. Meanwhile, the existing MBUX Voice Assistant system that could handle about 20 commands triggered with "Hey Mercedes" now includes results provided by OpenAI's ChatGPT and Microsoft Bing, but it's not a conversational platform. According to Mercedes, there's a plan to roll out this upgraded system to "further models" that run the older Voice Assistant, but it didn't specify which ones.
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Mercedes Readies Car You Can Talk to With Help From Google AI
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.
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Mercedes-Benz partners with Google Cloud to integrate an advanced AI-powered virtual assistant in their vehicles, enhancing navigation and user interaction through natural language processing and personalized responses.
Mercedes-Benz is set to revolutionize in-car experiences with the introduction of an advanced AI-powered virtual assistant, developed in collaboration with Google Cloud. This cutting-edge technology, known as the Automotive AI Agent, is built on Google's Gemini AI and Vertex AI platforms, promising to deliver a more intuitive and personalized interaction for drivers and passengers 12.
The new MBUX Virtual Assistant, powered by Google Cloud's Automotive AI Agent, will offer drivers the ability to engage in natural, multi-turn conversations about navigation, points of interest, and real-time traffic updates. By leveraging Google Maps Platform's extensive database of over 250 million global locations, the system can provide detailed and up-to-date information 35.
For instance, users can ask questions like, "Where's the best Italian place around here?" and receive not only restaurant suggestions but also additional insights such as popular dishes or reviews. The AI remembers context, allowing for follow-up questions without losing the thread of the conversation 12.
The Automotive AI Agent utilizes multimodal reasoning for natural language interactions and is designed to handle complex queries while retaining memory of key conversations. This allows for a more human-like interaction, where users can pause and resume conversations seamlessly 45.
Mercedes-Benz plans to debut this technology in the upcoming CLA model later this year, marking the launch of the company's new MB.OS operating system. The automaker intends to expand the feature to other models equipped with the MBUX Voice Assistant in the future 34.
This collaboration between Mercedes-Benz and Google Cloud represents a significant step forward in automotive AI integration. The enhanced virtual assistant aims to make driving experiences more enjoyable and efficient by providing real-time, personalized assistance without the need for drivers to take their hands off the wheel or eyes off the road 12.
Ola Källenius, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Group AG, emphasized the company's commitment to offering an exceptional digital experience, while Google CEO Sundar Pichai highlighted the potential for AI to transform the automotive industry 3.
As with any AI technology that remembers user interactions, there are potential privacy concerns. The balance between utility and privacy will be crucial in determining how drivers embrace this new technology. Mercedes-Benz and Google will need to address these concerns to ensure widespread adoption and user trust 1.
This partnership between Mercedes-Benz and Google Cloud signals a growing trend in the automotive industry towards integrating advanced AI technologies. As cars become increasingly connected and intelligent, we can expect to see more collaborations between traditional automakers and tech giants, potentially reshaping the future of transportation and in-car experiences 24.
Reference
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Phandroid - Android News and Reviews
|Google Teams up with Mercedes-Benz for AI-Powered Conversational Features - Phandroid[5]
Tech giant Google and automaker Volkswagen have announced a partnership to create an AI-powered digital assistant for smartphones that will seamlessly integrate with Volkswagen's vehicles, enhancing the driving experience and in-car connectivity.
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Google is testing Gemini, its advanced AI assistant, for integration into Android Auto. While showing promise in basic tasks, the current version lacks some key features for optimal in-vehicle use.
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Qualcomm and Google announce a collaboration to develop AI-powered voice assistants and smart features for vehicles, leveraging Qualcomm's Snapdragon technology and Google's Android Automotive OS.
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Google introduces new AI-powered features to its mapping applications, leveraging its Gemini model to provide more contextual and detailed information to users.
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Google introduces groundbreaking features for Gemini, including live video and screen sharing capabilities, enhancing AI-powered assistance and interaction.
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