Reported Plans For CarPlay
Apple is working on ways to support AI chatbot apps inside CarPlay, a move that could let drivers talk to services such as Google’s Gemini, Anthropic’s Claude, or OpenAI’s ChatGPT while using their cars, according to Bloomberg, which cited anonymous sources. The report said the work focuses on how third-party chatbot apps could operate within the CarPlay environment, which currently mirrors selected iPhone apps on a vehicle’s infotainment screen and allows interaction through Siri.
CarPlay runs on an iPhone and connects wirelessly to a car’s infotainment system, where it projects apps such as Apple Music, messaging, and navigation onto the display. Drivers can control these apps by voice through Siri rather than using touch controls.
CarPlay Ultra And Potential Impact
Apple’s next-generation CarPlay Ultra extends that setup beyond the main screen by also covering the central touchscreen and the digital dashboard in front of the driver, and it allows users to control certain vehicle settings. Support for chatbot apps would place external AI services inside that interface and could change how drivers interact with software in the car.
The report said this approach would, in theory, bring rival AI assistants into the vehicle environment and could reduce Siri’s role during in-car use, depending on how Apple implements the feature and which apps it allows to integrate.
Featured image credits: Flickr
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