Microsoft teaming up with TomTom to equip cars with a generative AI
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In a press release, the GPS company TomTom announced that it’s teaming up with Microsoft to equip cars with a generative AI assistant named “Tommy” that will, for some reason, let people converse with their cars.
“If you’ve ever dreamed of being able to talk to your car as if it were KITT,” the statement reads, making a deep-cut reference to 80s television, “your dream might soon be reality.”
Using various Microsoft AI services, including its Azure OpenAI large language models (LLM), TomTom’s new offering sounds like it will be like a yassified Siri or Alexa for your vehicle, enabling drivers to look up directions and other “infotainment” tools.
Emotional Machines
Like many companies that have invested in AI, TomTom’s people have given some pretty telling soundbites about how excited they are to be working with robots.
“Generative AI is going to add an emotional layer to interaction with the car,” Gianluca Brugnoli, the company’s VP of design, said in the press release. “It will know where you’re driving, your physical [well-being] and will adapt the driving experience and the technology in the cabin to match the experience each driver seeks.”
