Google (GOOGL-1.57%) is bringing its Gemini AI to Volvo cars. Google parent Alphabet and the Swedish carmaker, two companies that have collaborated for decades, announced a new partnership Wednesday to use Volvo’s vehicles as the lead development partner for the tech giant’s AI division. The announcement was made at Google’s annual I/O developer conference.
Volvo vehicles currently use Google Assistant on Android 13. Later this year, new models of the EX90 electric SUV will run on Android 15 with Gemini. Subsequent iterations will be available on Volvo cars first, before being made available to other carmakers.
The auto industry is usually two years behind current operating systems, meaning your phone is inevitably more up to date than your vehicle. This deal would change that, and would allow Gemini engineers to “experience how their product behaves in a real context much earlier and much faster,” Alwin Bakkenes, head of software engineering at Volvo, told Reuters.
Bakkenes promised that this would also eliminate drivers’ need to check their phones while driving, allowing Gemini to search email or messages for destinations. Translation, navigational tools, and access to the user’s manual will also be available to reduce drivers’ “cognitive load, so that you can stay focused on driving.”
While that doesn’t sound that different from standard Assistant features, the company promises that Gemini will respond to more of a “natural conversation,” as opposed to requiring stilted prompts.
At the I/O conference, Google also announced an AI shopping feature that “understands the human body and nuances of clothing,” allowing online consumers to try on outfits virtually. New features on the augmented-reality smart glasses, Android XR, were also revealed, though the product is not yet available commercially.
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