- BMW is the first automaker to integrate Amazon’s new Alexa+ AI voice assistant.
- By using the new generative AI platform, BMW drivers will be able to have more natural in-car conversations with the infotainment system.
- The new assistant will debut in select BMW models soon.
BMW cars will be the first to integrate Amazon’s next-generation voice assistant technology. The German automaker’s infotainment systems have long been using Alexa Custom Assistant, the platform that allows companies to build their own artificial intelligence assistants based on Alexa tech.
Moving forward, however, the voice that responds to the driver’s commands in BMWs will leverage the Alexa+ architecture, which is based on generative AI. For owners, it means that in-car conversations and commands should sound more natural, with Alexa+ no longer being constrained by a set number of keywords.
Amazon said Alexa+ can access over 70 large language models (LLMs), and that conversations that were started with other Alexa+ devices can be continued in the car. In practice, drivers will be able to say things like “find a DC fast charger nearby that has a well-rated restaurant, and then play my road trip playlist.”
According to Amazon, integrating Alexa+ in vehicles “represents a significant leap forward for in-vehicle conversational AI, moving beyond simple structured voice commands to deliver truly natural conversations and intelligent capabilities.”
BMW’s Alexa+ integration should be similar to Volvo’s integration of Google Gemini, another AI-based personal assistant. The difference, however, is that Volvo uses Google Maps as its go-to navigation system, and it’s theoretically easier to integrate Google’s voice assistant. Volvo’s entire infotainment system is also based on Google’s Android Automotive OS.
Meanwhile, the latest generation of BMW’s iDrive infotainment system is based on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) and uses a custom-built navigation system.
BMW hasn’t revealed which models will be the first to get the new generative AI-based voice assistant, and Amazon said that the rollout will happen “soon.”
