German car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz has unveiled an update to its in-car virtual assistant. NFT AI voice assistant with gallery and “emotion profile”.
The company debuted its updated MBUX virtual assistant at the 2024 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Powered by generative AI, the virtual assistant runs on the next-generation Mercedez-Benz Operating System (MB.OS), developed in-house by the automaker.
Billed as “the most human interface with Mercedes-Benz,” the updated MBUX Virtual Assistant leverages Large Language Models (LLMs) to interact with drivers using one of four “emotional profiles,” said Markus Schäfer, chief technology officer. says: In an interview with Mercedes-Benz, he said: PCMag. The virtual assistant can switch between natural, predictive, personal and empathic modes, he explained.
“With advances in artificial intelligence, the Mercedes-Benz of tomorrow will know its drivers like never before,” Schäfer said. “It will enhance and complement the lives of our customers in automotive and other areas as well.”
The MBUX assistant learns the driver’s preferences, such as automatically turning on preferred radio stations during the morning commute or activating seat massagers and dimmed lights during night driving.
Mercedes-Benz announced that it will integrate OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot into its Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX) voice assistant in June 2023. However, Schäfer noted that the final product “will not necessarily” be limited to the use of ChatGPT, and that Mercedes-Benz may switch to other chatbots “if there is a better option for our customers.” This may include, for example, using an alternative LLM to provide better localization in a different region.
Drivers can opt out of the program, Schäfer added, and the virtual assistant will only learn from individual vehicles and data will not be shared between drivers.
The updated MBUX Virtual Assistant is scheduled to be released in early 2025.
In-car NFT gallery
Mercedes-Benz is also inspecting the navigation and in-car entertainment (ICE) systems. The latter integrates MBUX Sound Drive, an in-car music experience developed by recording artist Will.i.am that allows music to “react to the way the acr is driven.”
The new MBUX Collectibles in-car app allows drivers to use non-fungible tokens (NFT) collection of vehicle dashboards (including the brand’s own NXT NFTs) Ethereum Blockchain. The company made headlines last year when its website crashed due to an outage of its NXT Icons NFT collection.
Mercedes-Benz is also using blockchain technology for less frivolous applications. In 2020, it announced that it was working with traceability startup Circulor to pilot a project using blockchain to track CO2 emissions in its cobalt supply chain.
