 "Kia EV3 SUV debuts with OpenAI's ChatGPT-based AI voice assistant: Details")
South Korean automobile maker Kia has unveiled the EV3 compact SUV. Among the headline features is an artificial intelligence-powered voice assistant, a first in the company’s electric vehicle fleet. The AI assistant is reportedly powered by ChatGPT, the generative AI-chatbot from Microsoft-backed OpenAI.
In a statement to TechCrunch, Kia’s head of customer experience design, Pablo Martinez said that the large language model (LLM) behind the company’s AI assistant is ChatGPT from OpenAI. However, it has been “heavily modified”, he said.
The AI-powered voice assistant on the EV3 SUV is an enhanced version of its voice assistant technology, which debuted on the company’s compact sedan Kia K4. The voice assistant allowed customers new ways to interact with and control the vehicle's built-in features. With the integration of generative AI into the technology, Kia’s voice assistant gains the capability of holding a more natural conversation with the user.
With AI voice assistant, Kia said, users can leverage the generative properties to plan trips, control the vehicle’s entertainment system, and search for information. Kia said that generative AI integration into the voice assistant will start with the EV3 model and will later roll out to the company’s other EVs.
Kia EV3 featuring its ChatGPT powered AI assistant will launch in the company’s home country in July followed by Europe in the “second half of the year.” TechCrunch reported that Kia is expected to expand sales of the EV3 model into other regions as well, however, there has been no official confirmation by the company.