Ford Creates an Always-Listening Assistant That Puts Google Assistant and Siri to Shame

Google Assistant and Apple's Siri, available on smartphones or Android Auto and CarPlay, respectively, provide users with easy access to mobile apps, phone calls, and messaging. The two systems can control navigation, play music in any audio app, make a phone call or answer an incoming one, read your texts, and send replies to keep the conversation going.

Vehicle-integrated assistants can perform more advanced tasks linked with the car, such as adjusting air conditioning and controlling the embedded navigation solution.

Ford already offers voice commands in its cars, but at the same time, the carmaker has also integrated several mobile assistants, including Alexa.

However, the future could bring several significant changes in digital assistants in Ford cars.

The American carmaker has recently patented a new technology that could eventually replace mobile assistants, offering a conversational and realistic experience without needing a wake-up phrase.

By default, digital assistants require a wake-up system to begin listening for commands. Drivers can use a special phrase, such as "Hey, Siri," or press the voice command button on the steering wheel. Alternatively, they can touch the microphone icon on the dashboard screen if they run phone projection systems like Android Auto.

Ford's new patent refers to a technology called "always listening and active voice assistant and vehicle operation," describing how a digital assistant can become a part of a typical conversation by listening to everything you say.

Privacy advocates would probably walk away at this point, as they wouldn't agree to have a piece of technology listen to everything they say. Ford explains that accepting this approach can produce significant benefits, providing the driver with information based on what they say.

The carmaker refers to its digital assistant as "Ford, and users can trigger it by saying, "Hey, Ford." However, thanks to this proposed upgrade, the always-listening mode allows a driver to involve the digital assistant in a conversation by saying its name.

Ford provides an example conversation to understand how its new technology could work.

The driver can say, "The Detroit symphony orchestra is playing tonight in Detroit. Ford, what do you think? I bet we have enough fuel to get to Detroit, but it will be very cold." In another example, the driver uses the "Hey, Ford" trigger phrase, but in both cases, the digital assistant performs a similar analysis of the voice commands.

Ford's digital assistant divides the spoken phrases into two parts in this example conversation. On the one hand, it performs a quick check to determine whether the vehicle has enough fuel to get to Detroit. For this task, the technology looks at the current range and calculates the distance to the venue, estimating if the vehicle can reach Detroit without a refill.

On the other hand, it looks at the temperature in Detroit to check the forecast.

Based on the analysis, it provides accurate responses to the driver, telling them if the gas is enough to arrive at the destination while also sharing the weather forecast. Ford envisions a human-like response, so the car would reply with friendly phrases supposed to continue the conversational experience in the car.

Because it features deep vehicle integration, the digital assistant can read data otherwise not available for mobile assistants – Google is working to provide Google Assistant with more data in Android Automotive-powered vehicles. However, even in this case, certain restrictions are still in place.

Ford's digital assistant can become the data governor in its cars, obtaining access to anything that could help the driver get an answer. The technology can read battery information in electric vehicles for a similar experience.

The American carmaker offers an in-depth look at how its digital assistant would offer a next-gen experience in its cars in the patent filing. I've attached the document for you at the end of the article. However, the critical part is the always-listening support, allowing the assistant to analyze everything you say.

I'm sure Google is also drooling over such a concept, considering the search giant considers data more valuable than anything else. Tech giants have also created always-listening assistants and envisioned more realistic conversations, but addressing privacy concerns is still a major challenge. Ford is likely to hit the same roadblocks should it decide to bring this idea to production models – and I'm certain the company is exploring its options in this regard, as carmakers want more control of their and drivers' data, especially as the battle for the infotainment is getting fiercer.

Ford's technology is in the patent stage, so you'd better not hold your breath for the carmaker to give its go-ahead on production cars. Google Assistant, Siri, and Alexa will live a little longer in Ford's cars.