Personal Assistants in the Vehicle
Infotainment Systems
In 2011 according to the National Household Survey, 11.4 million Canadian workers drove a vehicle to work, with each of them spending an average of 21.4 minutes in the commute. With the rise of mobile technology, more and more users are using their phones while driving, with 7 in 10 Americans surveyed to participate in cell phone use while driving as recently as 2015. People want to stay connected at all times, even while they are piloting a vehicle.
To capture this now growing base of people who wish to stay connected in their vehicle, car manufacturers have invested large sums of money into infotainment systems. However, most infotainment systems are slow, and not user friendly. Out of the competition, two mobile platform developers stand head and shoulders above the rest: Google with Android Auto, and Apple with Apple CarPlay.
The Entune System on the Toyota Camry
The Convergence of Personal Assistants and Infotainment
When Google and Apple entered the infotainment systems market in 2015, they brought about a change that no car manufacturer alone can accomplish: It allowed smartphones to be connected and the core functionalities to become usable in a vehicle in a user friendly way. Android Auto and Apple Carplay both possess similar interfaces to those found on smartphones, and allowed users access to the apps they had on their phones. Suddenly, the most important features of a mobile device can now be used on a car dashboard.
More importantly, both systems can be controlled by voice, and comes with personal assistant software. Android Auto can be controlled via Google Assistant, with allows access, and control of apps like Google maps through vocal commands. Apple Carplay have similar functionalities that can be controlled through Siri. With these personal assistants now available in the vehicle, the stage is set for the next disruption in the transportation industry: Autonomous vehicles.
Android Auto review from The Verge
Apple Carplay review from The Verge
The Future of Personal Assistants in the Vehicle
Many transportation industry forecast the availability of fully autonomous vehicles in the 2020s. What is most certainly going to arrive simultaneously with such technology is an advance personal assistant technology in the vehicle capable of understanding a driver's commands and also be able to assist, and if not fully automate the driving that takes place. While this technology is still a while away, we can forecast the following aspects as being necessary in any software that accompanies a vehicle in the 2020s:
1. It will continually improve through machine learning: There are two fronts in which machine learning can take place aboard a vehicle. First of all, the personal assistant in the vehicle should learn about the driver and be able to better function as a companion over time. Secondly, the AI should be able to continually learn from the driving experience crowd sourced by other autonomous vehicles. This second aspect of machine learning is already taking place among all automakers that are experimenting with autonomous vehicles.
2. The assistant will need to understand its surroundings and adjust accordingly. In order to perform its functions as an assistant in the vehicle that could be driving through all sorts of different environment and road conditions, the AI must be able to recognize its surrounding conditions and adapt accordingly. In the video to the right, we are already seeing autonomous vehicles adapt to the surroundings by making adjustments through turns and detours. As a personal assistant in the vehicle that is autonomous, the assistant must be able to analyze road conditions and be able to potentially alert drivers and allow them to have the option of potentially changing their travel route or plans. We have already seen concepts of this through Toyota's Concept I vehicle.
Taking a ride in the Toyota Concept I car, and being served by its companion AI "Yui"
All in all, personal assistants in the vehicle is still in its infancy, and a large part of its future will depend on the rise of autonomous vehicles. Over the last few years, personal assistants have already revolutionized the infotainment system, and currently, the focus has been to incorporate more features found on the smartphone into the driving experience so that drivers can enjoy some of the smartphone features while driving. The next few years and decade will be an exciting time for this aspect of AI and personal assistant in the vehicle as personal assistants move into a role beyond that of infotainment and into taking over driving duties and enhancing driver and passenger experience in the vehicle.
Self learning hardware allows a vehicle to learn through repeated journeys.
Exit poll
After reading about the prospect of having AI assistance in the vehicle, we are interested, (and you may also be interested as well) in how much the infotainment system factors into your decision when it comes to your next vehicle purchase.