BMW launches an AI assistant who reacts when you are tired

BMW announced today its intention to deploy next year a smart assistant able to meet the expectations of assistants, such as playing music, giving you directions or answering random questions like "What is the the meaning of life? can also answer a series of car-specific voice commands such as "Is the oil level correct?" or "What warning messages do I have?"

When a user says "Hey BMW, I'm tired," the assistant initiates what BMW calls the vitality mode and changes the lighting, temperature and mood of the music. Artificial intelligence systems using facial recognition in semi-autonomous vehicles also work to recognize when a driver is tired to take action.

BMW's new assistant will speak 23 languages ​​and will be available in May 2019 in Brazil, Japan, the United States and many major European countries such as Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom. United.

The wizard will eventually be added to all new models using the BMW 7.0 operating system, said a spokesman for the company in an email to VentureBeat.

Unlike assistants from other companies, BMW drivers can choose the name they give to their assistant.

The BMW Smart Assistant can also integrate with Microsoft Office 365 and Skype for Business, allowing drivers to join Skype calls while driving or receiving emails.

BMW has worked with Amazon to integrate Alexa with the product and has partnered with Microsoft's Azure cloud platform to do the assistant, said a spokeswoman for the company at VentureBeat. Other smart integrations are planned for the BMW assistant.

The assistant will also be able to do such things as responding to commands such as "Hey BMW, I'm cold" to change the temperature or look for the nearest gas station on your route.

To personalize the experience, the assistant learns about the driver's preferences, such as the level of seat warming he prefers or his usual destinations. Other customization options will be introduced in the future.

"He [the BMW assistant] could warn the driver of problems such as "tire pressure is low", for example, remind the driver of service appointments, or even make an appointment without delay, "says a statement from BMW announcing the news.

While the home has been the main battleground for AI assistant manufacturers, the workplace and car are becoming more competitive for companies that want to create an assistant available wherever you are.

Last month, Amazon introduced its Auto SDK to integrate Alexa into more infotainment systems, and earlier this year Google Assistant was integrated with Android Auto.

While a number of home appliance manufacturers and automakers have chosen to incorporate Google Assistant and Alexa into their devices – Ford and Toyota have Alexa in some vehicles – of course. Others, like BMW, have chosen to develop theirs.

This is a case that SoundHound's CEO, Keyvan Mohajer, explained earlier this year when he said that any successful company wants to maintain its relationship with its customers and does not want its brand to be "diverted" by Amazon or Google .