As a humble car enthusiast, I couldn't help but chuckle when Volkswagen announced they're adding ChatGPT to their vehicles. It's like they're answering a question nobody asked! I mean, do we really need AI to tell us we're cold? Apparently, VW thinks so. Starting September 6th, select models like the 2025 Jetta and certain ID.4s will get this "revolutionary" feature. I can already imagine telling my car, "Hey Ida, I'm bored," and it responding with a dad joke. How futuristic!

Now, let's talk about what this AI wizardry actually does. According to VW, it can help you find restaurants, suggest road trip destinations, and even create stories to keep you entertained. Because who needs carefully crafted podcasts or audiobooks when you can have a robot spit out generic tales? The system uses Cerence Chat Pro, which sounds fancy but basically means your car will now be a chatterbox. I tried to ask my current car where to eat, and it just sat there silently—how rude!

Here's the kicker: Volkswagen plans to charge for this "innovation" via a subscription called Plus Speech with AI. That's right, you'll pay extra for the privilege of having your car state the obvious. Meanwhile, other automakers like Mercedes-Benz and BMW have offered similar voice controls for years—for free! Their systems can adjust seats, change drive modes, and even tell jokes without any subscription fees. VW's move feels like jumping on the AI bandwagon just to sound cool.

So, is this a game-changer or just a gimmick? As someone who's perfectly content with my current voice assistant, I'm leaning toward the latter. But hey, if you're dying to have ChatGPT narrate your commute, more power to you. Just don't forget to pack your wallet!