Omoda puts AI in the driver’s seat

JAKARTA, Indonesia — There was a time when a car’s most advanced feature was a cassette player with auto-reverse. Later came CD changers, navigation systems, and Bluetooth. Now, carmakers are talking about artificial intelligence (AI). Fast Times was among the Philippine motoring media and vloggers invited to Indonesia for the regional launch of Omoda’s new AI Cockpit, a system designed to make the vehicle more responsive to the driver’s needs. The event also highlighted how quickly Omoda & Jaecoo has expanded. Omoda & Jaecoo International CEO Shawn Xu said most major automotive companies took at least 12 years to reach one million global sales, while Omoda & Jaecoo achieved the milestone in only three years. “The AI era is here,” Xu said. As expected, the presentation came with the usual talk about intelligent mobility, connected lifestyles, and the future of driving. Strip away the marketing language, however, and the idea behind the technology is fairly simple: the driver should be able to ask the car to perform a task without having to reach for the screen or work through several menus. That could be useful, particularly in the Philippines, where driving already demands enough concentration. The AI Cockpit is intended to understand instructions delivered in a more natural manner. Instead of memorizing rigid commands, the driver could speak to the vehicle much like he or she would talk to another person. Chery Automobile R&D Institute Chief Scientist Jian Qui said the system is designed not only to recognize words but also to understand the driver’s intent and act on it. Qui said the smart cockpit uses an agent-based AI system. Sensors inside the vehicle collect physical signals from the real world, process the information, and send it to the cloud within milliseconds. A master agent then interprets the driver’s intention and plans the necessary tasks. In simpler terms, the system is supposed to work out what the driver wants instead of waiting for a perfectly worded command. The AI Cockpit will make its production debut in the Omoda 4, a new model unveiled during the event. The O4 is expected to arrive in the Philippines before the end of the year, although local specifications, pricing, and the exact launch date have yet to be announced. The system can control navigation, air conditioning, entertainment, and other cabin functions. It is also designed to learn a user’s habits and preferences over time. To younger motorists who grew up talking to phones and smart speakers, this will probably feel normal. For drivers who still remember folding paper maps and pulling over to ask for directions, speaking to a dashboard may take some getting used to. The real question, however, is not whether AI inside a car sounds impressive. It is whether it can make driving less troublesome. Many new vehicles now place most controls inside a central touchscreen. These displays look clean and modern, but they are not always easy to operate while the vehicle is moving. Adjusting the temperature, changing a song or entering a destination can require several taps, taking the driver’s attention away from the road. A properly functioning voice-controlled system could allow the driver to lower the cabin temperature, call a family member, play a particular song, or search for a destination without looking down at the screen. In an electric vehicle, it could also locate a nearby charging station. That may sound like a minor convenience, but anyone who regularly drives through Metro Manila traffic knows that even simple tasks become more difficult when surrounded by motorcycles, buses, delivery riders, and motorists changing lanes without warning. Navigation could be one of the system’s more practical functions. Philippine traffic conditions can change quickly. A road that was flowing freely a few minutes earlier can suddenly slow down because of an accident, flooding, road repairs, or an improperly parked vehicle blocking a lane. An AI assistant connected to real-time information could recommend an alternative route before the driver becomes trapped in traffic. It could also search for nearby parking areas, restaurants, hospitals, or service stations without requiring the driver to type while moving. This could prove particularly useful during heavy rain, when visibility is poor and the motorist has more important things to watch than an infotainment display. The AI Cockpit also promises a degree of personalization. It is designed to learn regular destinations, preferred cabin temperatures, and entertainment choices. In theory, the system could eventually prepare the route to work, select the driver’s usual music and adjust the air conditioning as soon as the journey begins. That may seem unnecessary to someone who is perfectly capable of turning a knob. But for motorists who spend two or three hours a day in traffic, removing repetitive tasks could make the daily commute slightly less tiring. The technology may also be useful for households in which several people share the same vehicle. The system could recognize individual users and load their preferred cabin settings automatically. Still, motorists should not expect the car to become a flawless mechanical personal assistant overnight. Its usefulness in the Philippines will depend partly on whether it can understand local accents and the way many Filipinos switch between English and Filipino in the same sentence. A voice assistant that only understands carefully spoken American English will not be particularly helpful on EDSA. Connectivity will also matter. Because the system sends information to the cloud for processing, its responsiveness could depend on the strength and stability of the vehicle’s data connection. Uneven mobile coverage outside major cities may affect some functions. There are privacy questions as well. A vehicle that learns a driver’s habits may collect information about frequently visited places, travel schedules, and personal preferences. Omoda & Jaecoo will have to explain what information is gathered, where it is stored, and how users can control or delete them. AI should also remain an assistant, not a replacement for the driver’s judgment. The system may suggest a route, but the driver still has to decide whether the road is safe. It may provide information about traffic or weather, but it cannot take responsibility for careless driving. No amount of software can compensate for a motorist who is distracted, impatient or ignoring road conditions. For years, buyers judged a car mainly by its engine, transmission, fuel economy, ride, and price. Those factors remain important, but software is becoming a larger part of the ownership experience. For Filipino motorists, however, the appeal will not come from simply being able to say that their car has AI. It will come if the system can operate cabin controls without distracting the driver, find a better route through traffic, and make the daily commute easier. The O4 will be the first model to show whether Omoda’s AI Cockpit can deliver on those promises. Its real test will take place in the traffic, rain, and everyday disorder of Philippine roads.