Uber plugs ChatGPT into electric vehicles
Uber is turning to OpenAI and ChatGPT to drive electric vehicle (EV) adoption by its drivers. The ride-share company announced the new AI assistant at the Go Get Zero sustainability conference in London, among several other green initiatives. Uber will use OpenAI’s GPT-4o model, the same model that underpins ChatGPT, to create a guide for drivers on the way to where they can feel confident and comfortable behind the wheel of an electric car.
The idea of AI as a personal car concierge makes sense, given the complexity of switching from gasoline cars. That means the AI will adapt to the user, tailoring its answers about buying and maintaining an EV to whoever asks. The AI will be packed with data on purchase prices, how to charge and maintain the car, and other useful information unique to electric vehicles.
The AI will also adapt its responses depending on where the driver lives. Geography matters because many states, cities and other locations have incentive programs to entice people to switch to electric cars, but these are far from uniform. The same goes for mapping charging stations that drivers can rely on if the battery runs out. A California Uber driver might regularly discuss the state rebates and tax breaks he earns for purchasing an electric car, while an Uber driver in New York simultaneously asks the assistant about discounts at nearby charging stations.
Uber AI
Uber isn’t going to limit its AI to talking about electric cars forever. The company said it will expand the types of questions AI can answer and the data sources it can use later in 2025 to make the AI more flexible and useful in more circumstances.
Personalizing a specialized AI assistant in this way may seem like an inspired approach if it works out. Still, learning about electric cars through a conversation with an AI is a lot less intimidating than trying to wade through a bunch of often complicated technical and regulatory documents. The ChatGPT-based AI companion also fits into Uber’s expanded list of new and upcoming features to encourage EV adoption, such as letting you specifically request an EV and matching EV Uber drivers with those considering it to request answer that the AI couldn’t answer.
For OpenAI, it is another milestone in its expansion into the automotive AI space. Voice assistants are a common feature in modern vehicles, and ChatGPT’s models are powering a growing number of in-vehicle AI assistants. Volkswagen started installing ChatGPT on a large scale in its cars last month. The upgraded Ida voice assistant uses the OpenAI model to conduct more conversations and process a wider range of requests than previously possible. Between VW, Uber, and experiments from Mercedes-Benz and other automakers, OpenAI has an opportunity to have a major impact on how we interact with the next generation of automotive AI assistants.
