TomTom and Microsoft collaborate to integrate generative AI into cars

TomTom recently unveiled an AI-powered conversational automotive assistant designed to seamlessly integrate into vehicle dashboards for a more sophisticated voice interaction experience. This innovative assistant is expected to provide natural conversations for navigation, finding stops along a route, controlling onboard systems, and more.

In partnership with Microsoft, TomTom utilized OpenAI’s large language models, Azure Cosmos DB, and Azure Cognitive Services to develop this cutting-edge technology. This ensures that the AI assistant is up-to-date with the latest advancements and capable of delivering high performance.

One of the key promises made by TomTom is the integration of the voice assistant into various interfaces offered by major automobile manufacturers, while maintaining the individual branding of these manufacturers. As a result, this advanced assistant could potentially become a standard feature in a wide range of vehicles from different makers.

While TomTom hasn’t yet announced specific partnerships with vehicle manufacturers, the technology will be integrated into TomTom’s Digital Cockpit, an open and modular in-vehicle infotainment platform. This move reflects a strategic approach to widespread implementation across the automotive industry.

This isn’t the first attempt to implement advanced language models in cars, as Mercedes previously incorporated ChatGPT models into select vehicles with the help of Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI service. TomTom will be showcasing the AI at CES in January, providing further insight into its functionality and potential impact within the automotive industry.