The Mercedes-Benz Virtual Assistant uses Google’s conversational AI agent

When Mercedes revealed it at CES in 2024, it didn’t say which company’s LLM it was running on. Meanwhile, the existing MBUX Voice Assistant system, which could handle about 20 commands triggered by “Hey Mercedes”, now includes results provided by ChatGPT and Microsoft Bing OpenAI, but it is not a conversational platform. According to Mercedes, there are plans to roll out this improved system to “further models” that support the older voice assistant, but it didn’t specify which ones.

The recent MBUX Virtual Assistant will be characterized by four “personality traits”, including natural, predictable, personal and empathetic. He or she may also ask you questions to gain additional clarity and get what you need.

Google’s recent AI agent is tailored for automotive applications and uses Google Maps data to find points of interest, view restaurant reviews, make recommendations, answer follow-up questions, and more. Google says users of its MBUX virtual assistant will have access to “near real-time” Google Maps updates. It also says it can “handle complex, multi-turn dialogues.”

The agent uses Gemini and runs on Google Cloud’s Vertex AI development platform, designed to facilitate companies build AI solutions. “This is just the beginning of how agent capabilities can transform the automotive industry,” Google CEO Sundar Pichai said in a press release.