Virtual Assistant Makes Traveling More Relaxing

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to revolutionize the convenience, comfort and user experience of traveling by car. On long journeys in particular, countless useful applications are conceivable for facilitating travelers’ searches for information while driving.  

This vision could soon become reality, replacing the cumbersome searching by passengers for information via their mobile phones: on vacation trips, a virtual travel companion announces landmarks and recommends places of interest, restaurants and cultural events along the way and at destinations, while also compiling news items on select topics of interest. As needs arise, this clever AI passenger also provides practical tips and information on your travel route and any technical updates concerning your car. Likewise conceivable would be information on free parking spaces and nearby gas and charging stations as well as warnings of pressure loss in tires or when the car battery charge is getting low – all this together would make long road trips a much more relaxed experience, and help reinforce motorists’ sense of safety and reliability. 

According to Continental’s 2024 Mobility Study, the idea of a virtual travel assistant is met with highly positive responses in all countries surveyed. A digital travel companion can thus act as a door opener for onboard AI in road vehicles – because, despite the current general boom in artificial intelligence, most motorists are not yet completely aware of the benefits they stand to gain from onboard AI in their car. Currently, a general lack of trust in voice interaction with smart technology still prevails. In France, for example, there is still considerable concern about driver distraction. Yet, a very different feeling prevails in China, where 87 percent of survey respondents believe that an all-encompassing AI voice application that communicates with motorists would make driving easier, while 82 percent are confident that it would deliver correct information. This attitude reflects the much more willing readiness in China to embrace onboard AI services in cars. 

Continental has already recognized the opportunities this technology presents: together with our partner Google Cloud, we are implementing the AI-based virtual assistant in cars by integrating the Google Cloud applications directly into our onboard computers. Another example is our e.Travel Companion. This innovative system informs drivers like an interactive radio transmitter, for instance by recommending where nearby vacant parking spaces or service stations can be found and warning drivers about pressure loss in tires or threatening weather conditions.