At yesterday’s I/O conference, Google announced plans to start using its Gemini chatbot in a variety of places, including cars. Today, Volvo announced that it is working its way to the front of the line to be the first to get the new technology.
Volvo said it is expanding its previous partnership with Google – the Swedish automaker was one of the first to introduce the Android Automotive operating system to its cars – and is now integrating Gemini into its lineup. Drivers will be able to have more “natural” conversations about their car, including language translation, navigation assistance, and search for specific locations. They will even be able to ask the AI assistant to answer questions about their car’s owner’s manual. Volvo explains this as easing the “cognitive load” on the driver so they can focus on the road.
Earlier this month, Google said it would make Gemini available to cars that support Android Auto, the company’s popular phone mirroring program. But while Android Auto users will have access to Gemini in the coming weeks, cars with Android Automotive, which are sold as Google-embedded, will not have access until later this year.
Drivers and passengers will be able to use Gemini to send texts, get directions, play music, and pretty much everything else that Google Assistant can do. The main difference is that users won’t have to use clunky robotic commands, but will instead rely on Gemini’s natural language capabilities.
Volvo will also become one of Google’s reference hardware platforms for developing and testing future automotive technologies. This means that Volvo cars will receive “new features and updates” from Google before they are added to the main Android code base.
“Through this partnership with Google, we are able to be the first to bring the latest features and capabilities of the leading consumer eco-system to our products,” said Alvin Bakkenes, Head of Global Software Development at Volvo Cars, in a statement. “Through our expanding partnership, we are collaborating on cutting-edge solutions that are shaping the future of connected cars.”
Volvo has worked closely with Google for many years and is already first in line to receive product updates such as high-definition maps, built-in YouTube and voice-controlled HVAC systems. Polestar, a former Volvo sub-brand (now a separate brand), became the first company to sell cars with its own in-car Android OS.
Google’s annual developer conference, held at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, California, was dedicated to the Gemini this year. The car is quickly becoming an important platform for a chatbot, especially with its myriad challenges, namely driving a 2-ton metal box in a complex environment full of pitfalls.
Google positions Gemini as a team player with other major parts of the vehicle’s operating system. “Navigation apps can integrate with Gemini using three main intent formats, allowing them to launch navigation, display relevant search results, and perform user actions, such as allowing users to report incidents such as traffic congestion using their voice,” wrote Ben Sagmoe, developer relations engineer, on the Android Developers Blog.
