Continental and Google Cloud have announced a partnership at IAA Mobility 2023 to integrate generative artificial intelligence (AI) into cars, aiming to create a more intuitive user experience for drivers. The collaboration will incorporate Google Cloud's capabilities directly into vehicle computers, allowing drivers to interact with their cars in a natural dialogue.
Continental showcased the integration of its Smart Cockpit High-Performance Computer (HPC) solution with a demonstration vehicle. The solutions are expected to serve a broad market, with sales of high-performance vehicle computers projected to reach the mid-tens of billions of euros over the next decade.
Google Cloud’s AI-powered system enables drivers to converse with their vehicles, asking about hotels and tourist attractions while traveling and even asking follow-up questions without repeating the entire context. The system can access specific vehicle information like the operating manual, providing details such as the location of the USB port or the required tire pressure when the car is fully loaded.
The collaboration aims to combine Google Cloud's expertise in software, AI, and cloud computing with Continental's deep understanding of the automotive industry to create a new generation of digital automotive solutions that enhance convenience and safety for drivers and passengers.
This partnership also expands the functions for instrumentation, entertainment, and driver assistance that are pre-integrated in Continental’s Smart Cockpit HPC, reducing development time, effort, complexity, and costs for automotive manufacturers. The Smart Cockpit HPC meets customer needs for typical cockpit designs with driver and center displays while combining user experience and system performance.
The AI for cars technology faces challenges such as ensuring the AI system's safety and reliability, protecting user data privacy and security, and complying with different regions' regulatory standards. These challenges require rigorous testing, validation, monitoring, and tracking of the AI system's performance, implementing strong data privacy and security measures, and adapting the technology to meet each region's specific requirements. Companies need to carefully consider these issues and take appropriate measures to mitigate potential risks.