Photo: BMW
They have not been on the market for all that long, but voice assistants have pretty much changed the way we do certain things, to the point that some of us now feel like some Star Trek characters, telling computers what to do solely with the power of our voice.
Such technologies will not only continue to evolve, but they’ll expand into new areas, and they’ll do so very rapidly. And the automotive industry is one of the main targets for this expansion.
For a while, carmakers have been trying to make their own voice assistants, some with greater degree of success than others. But the reality remains that the giants of the industry, the likes of Google, Alexa or Siri, will forever dominate this field.
BMW, for instance, introduced its own voice assistant back in 2018. It works just fine, but lacks the capabilities of something as far-reaching as Alexa, and this is why this week the German carmaker announced the development of a new system based on Amazon’s solution.
According to BMW, the system, which should be deployed in cars in two years or so, “will enable an even more natural dialogue between driver and vehicle.” More importantly, it will bring all the features we know Alexa is capable of, including the ability to control music, smart home remote management, adding items to a shopping list, and weather checks.
“The Alexa technology will enable an even more natural dialogue between driver and vehicle, so drivers can stay focused on the road. This will bring the digital experience to an entirely new level,” said in a statement Stephan Durach, BMW Senior Vice-President Connected Company and Development Technical Operations.
Despite the arrival of this new, yet unnamed system, BMW will not give up on its existing technology, and will offer the driver the choice of which one to use. We’re even told that both of them could be used at the same time, working alongside one another.
For a while, carmakers have been trying to make their own voice assistants, some with greater degree of success than others. But the reality remains that the giants of the industry, the likes of Google, Alexa or Siri, will forever dominate this field.
BMW, for instance, introduced its own voice assistant back in 2018. It works just fine, but lacks the capabilities of something as far-reaching as Alexa, and this is why this week the German carmaker announced the development of a new system based on Amazon’s solution.
According to BMW, the system, which should be deployed in cars in two years or so, “will enable an even more natural dialogue between driver and vehicle.” More importantly, it will bring all the features we know Alexa is capable of, including the ability to control music, smart home remote management, adding items to a shopping list, and weather checks.
“The Alexa technology will enable an even more natural dialogue between driver and vehicle, so drivers can stay focused on the road. This will bring the digital experience to an entirely new level,” said in a statement Stephan Durach, BMW Senior Vice-President Connected Company and Development Technical Operations.
Despite the arrival of this new, yet unnamed system, BMW will not give up on its existing technology, and will offer the driver the choice of which one to use. We’re even told that both of them could be used at the same time, working alongside one another.
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