BMW's iDrive 8 helps drivers using machine learning and natural language processing

Two decades after its debut in the 2001 Series 7, BMW's iDrive infotainment system is among the best on the market. It's about to get even better -- think, natural language processing, gesture control and cloud-based machine learning -- with the release of its latest iteration, iDrive 8, aboard the upcoming BMW iX and i4. The system's onboard AI, BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant, will be the driver's primary point of contact when interacting with the new iDrive 8. The driver will be able to give the IPA a personalized name and then cue up various in-vehicle functions and information streams using either verbal or non-verbal commands. The new iDrive 8 has also been issued a face of sorts, "spheres of light in differing sizes and brightness levels, giving the assistant more space and new ways of expressing itself," per a BMW press release.