GM's Super-Smart Digital Assistant Makes a Good Case for Adopting Android Automotive

The carmaker defended the strategy with a promise that made sense in the long term. Android Auto and CarPlay come with limited capabilities because the experience is powered by the mobile device, so the only way for GM's cars to evolve and offer new-generation systems is to adopt a modern, fully-featured operating system.

A recent GM patent makes a good case for adopting Android Automotive, as it describes a context-aware digital assistant that couldn't run without a new-generation platform powering its backend.

The patent is called "system and method for scenario context-aware voice assistant auto-activation" (the application is embedded in the article after the jump) and describes a way to interact with the car's systems via voice commands.

Digital assistants have been around for a long time in the automotive world. While several carmakers tried to maintain control of the cabin experience and invested in in-house solutions, the adoption of CarPlay and Android Auto made digital assistants an integral part of the time spent behind the wheel. Siri and Google Assistant allow users to make phone calls (via connected mobile devices), set navigation, and start music playback with voice commands.

However, they come with several shortcomings, including the wake-up phrase that users must use whenever they want to run a command hands-free. GM says the keywords are "inconvenient and awkward for many users," as they end up "treating the computer as an entity." It's not everybody's cup of tea, GM says, so the company proposed an alternative fully automatic technology that kicks in based on context.

General Motors explains that its digital assistant always listens to what you say and reacts accordingly. It doesn't come with a wake-up phrase, but it still offers a reduced likelihood of accidental triggers.

How will the digital assistant make a difference between a voice command and a conversation with another passenger or another human being? GM says its technology can analyze data from vehicle sensors and connected systems, improve a learning algorithm, and check your patterns to know what to do.

The best way to understand how the system works is to think of a driver saying, "It's hot." Next-gen digital assistants wouldn't require a specific voice command to adjust climate control settings (as is the case today with Google Assistant on Android Automotive, where drivers must speak the desired temperature with a pre-defined command) but extract the request based on the spoken words. Theoretically, "it's hot" can also be something you tell a vehicle passenger or when talking to a friend on the phone.

GM says its advanced analysis kicks in and runs a series of checks to determine if what you just said is a voice command or casual conversation. The digital assistant can determine if you're engaged in a phone conversation by checking the status of the infotainment system. If you're not on a phone call, the assistant can look for the temperature in the cabin and compare it to the outside temperature. Eventually, it can determine if you want to adjust the climate control and ask for a desired temperature or set it automatically based on your previous settings.

The digital assistant can also monitor your habits and patterns, log essential information, and use it to distinguish conversations from voice commands.

If the driver says he wants to go to the gym, the digital assistant can scan previous trips and determine how often to go to the gym at the same hour and on the same day. If you typically go to a different place (such as traveling home from the office), the digital assistant ignores the request. If your past driving logs indicate frequent trips to the gym at the same hour, the digital assistant can set the navigation to the gym's logged location.

GM says the system can conduct more advanced analysis for certain possible requests. If the driver says they want to go to a beach, the assistant can check the vehicle suspension system to determine if the car is "heavily laden with luggage." It could be a sign the driver leaves on a trip, so the digital assistant triggers a scan for the closest beach to configure navigation. The system can also check how many doors open and close to determine the number of passengers. If the driver leaves with the family, the search includes a beach where people typically go with their kids.

It's not the first time we've heard about context-aware digital assistants, but GM looks ready to push the concept to a new level that wouldn't be possible without AAOS. Undoubtedly, Google's embedded operating system also helps GM implement more unpopular strategies, including subscriptions, but this advanced digital assistant would be a great way to justify the big be on Android Automotive. It still wouldn't explain the full ban on Android Auto and CarPlay, though.