Today’s virtual assistants are becoming more impressive by the day. Their rise in popularity isn’t surprising, considering they can perform nearly any household task with a simple voice command. Offerings like Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant could soon be used to accomplish more complex tasks than turning on lights. In fact, they may soon be a staple in both your car and home.
In the near future, a virtual assistant will be able to control your entire life from one central hub. You’ll be able to tell your onboard assistant to crank up the heat at home or in the oven. Your car will open the garage door as you pull up, Google things you’ve been curious about, even make small talk with you on the way home from work.
The Role of Voice Control
Voice control first appeared in cars in the 1990s, when it was mainly used to command antiquated car phones. In the ensuing 20 years, voice control has become central to virtual assistant technology. In the future, artificial intelligence (AI) may take virtual assistants to a whole new level, where voice control isn’t even necessary. Soon, your car will interact with your mood.
Take the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class, for example. Its ENERGIZING Comfort feature can create a tailored atmosphere by combining music, lighting, and massage functions in the seat. Today, you can use voice control to select the atmosphere right for your mood. In the future, your car might sense that you’ve had a stressful day and react accordingly, from turning on soothing music for your drive to adjusting the lighting in your living room for when you get home.
Who Is Building Virtual Assistants?
Tech giants like Amazon, Apple and Google know virtual assistants are the future—and automakers know it too. Every BMW coming off the line now comes equipped with Amazon Alexa, and they’ll soon also offer Microsoft’s Cortana, which (when used in conjunction) will offer everything from home management to increased office productivity.
Volkswagen, Ford, SEAT, and Skoda have all made plans to integrate Alexa, and now have been joined at the table by Toyota. Android and Apple are also continuing their auto-integration efforts. Apple has packaged its Siri system with CarPlay, a subscription-based service, while Google Assistant features in Android Auto.
Amazon, Apple, and Google may be some of the world’s biggest companies, but that doesn’t mean they’ll get a free run at the automotive virtual assistant market. Hyundai and Kia have turned to the creators of SoundHound to create an AI-powered Intelligent Personal Assistant that should hit the streets this year in test form, before going into production vehicles next year. Tesla is also working on its own AI system for self-driving and other systems.
The potential for virtual assistants is almost limitless. This will be especially true when autonomous vehicles do the driving for you, enabling the car’s cockpit to turn into an entertainment and multimedia center.
What Can In-Car Virtual Assistants Do Today?
Ford’s early plans for in-car Alexa capabilities include opening the garage door and playing netbooks. Hyundai intends to let drivers use voice activation to alter air conditioning, lock doors, and start the car.
As of now, these tools are works in progress. If, for instance, you’re giving a mission-critical instruction to your car—or even if a noncritical instruction doesn’t run smoothly and becomes a distraction—you could have serious problems. Limiting the car’s ability to provide basic infotainment and comfort features is the smart way to go…for now.
When the car takes over driving, we can truly let virtual assistants off the leash. We’ll be able to make dinner plans, get movie tickets, shop online, write emails, and get the house ready for our return. That’s a lot to focus on when you’re meant to be watching traffic, so the system simply cannot run free until we have full autonomy.
In-Car Smart Speakers Could Be an Interim Step
What’s the step between the basic in-car computers of today and all-singing, all-dancing, AI-powered virtual assistants of tomorrow? The smart speaker. Manufacturers are racing to install smart speakers that feature similar capabilities to the Amazon Echo.
In fact, the best on the market might just be the Amazon Echo Dot, the same unit you have in your home. This system works in conjunction with your car’s WiFi. Alternatively, you can use a SIM card with the system and plug it into your car’s USB port. It’s arguably the best smart speaker you can get for your car right now, but is still an aftermarket installation, which means you’ll need to find a safe, sturdy way to install it permanently. Of course, you’ll want to double-check that installing one won’t void your vehicle’s warranty.
It’s not the most integrated system, and with the smart speaker market estimated at $11.8 billion per year, it’s certainly worth putting out new automotive products to bridge the gap until we have full autonomy. There is a glut of manufacturers willing to fill the breach, and they include the lesser known Zettaly, Anico, and Nubwo.
A New Era in Automotive and Automation
These are exciting times in the automotive industry, and the virtual assistant could be a total revolution. The whole concept of driving could turn on its head as the car takes the wheel and we spend our commuting time on more enjoyable and productive pursuits.
Right now, our in-car experience is still largely limited to the basic smart speaker setup. Just like we’ve seen the capabilities of smart assistants grow, will we see them become a part of our lives even when we leave the house. This technology could move just as fast as the self-driving tech that is largely holding them back. While we don’t know when autonomous vehicles and smart speakers will become widespread on our roads, we do know that the sheer potential of the virtual assistant is whetting appetites around the world.
About Stephanie Braun
Stephanie Braun is a director of Auto Product Management at Esurance, where she is responsible for designing the company’s auto product lines and managing telematics programs like DriveSense Mobile. Stephanie has 11 years of experience in the auto insurance industry and shares her knowledge on the future of the auto technology as well as current trends in the auto insurance space. Learn more about Esurance’s car insurance policies on their website.