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BMW Waves Back at Mercedes' MBUX with Hey BMW Personal Assistant

In January this year, German manufacturer Mercedes-Benz introduced the Mercedes-Benz User Experience, the interface through which the driver can interact with the car. SInce, it has already been deployed on several new models.
BMW to use the same greeting as Mercedes for personal assistant 5 photos
Photo: BMW
Hey BMW personal assistantHey BMW personal assistantHey BMW personal assistantHey BMW personal assistant
One of the features of the system is the personal assistant, which can be activated by using the voice command Hey Mercedes. The three-pointed star brand says the assistant “obeys virtually every command, recognizes and understands nearly all sentences from the fields of infotainment and vehicle operation.

On Thursday, BMW announced the introduction of its own new personal assistant. And for some reason, BMW chose to use the exact same greeting to get irt going as their long-lived rivals.

To be available on BMW cars starting March 2019 in 23 languages, the system can be activated by using the voice command Hey BMW.

Sure, there are other AI-activating greetings out there, already deployed in mobile assistant apps or on home devices. But maybe the Hey thing will become industry standard, who knows.

The Bavarians brag that their system will not be a simple assistant, but a BMW professional riding along in virtual form in the car. That’s because it will not only support the driver in mundane tasks, but also be a Wikipedia of sorts.

That’s because it will be capable of explaining to the driver how different functions of the car work. For instance, if the driver asks “How does the High Beam Assistant work?” the virtual BMW takes its time to explain.

The assistant will also react to the driver’s mood. When the occupant tells the car he is tired, it reacts by adjusting the lighting mood, music and temperature to make the driver more awake.

As a bonus, the assistant will come with integrated Microsoft Office 365 and Skype for Business.

The first cars to get the new tech are the 3 Series, the new BMW X5, Z4, and 8 Series. The cars, fitted with the BMW Operating System 7.0, will get the assistant via an over-the-air update.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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