In August last year, I came across a report about California-based Lightning Motorcycles using AI to design their bikes. What happened to good ol human taste for automobile aesthetics? After all, it’s the bipedal soda-sipping junk-loving species that designed masterpieces like the Ducati Panigale.
Ola, the self-professed champion of electric vehicle revolution in India, is bringing AI in a rather evocative fashion to its e-scooters. The approach entails putting its Krutrim AI on an electric scooter’s infotainment display unit. What does it do?
Well, for starters, you can ask “how’s the weather” or “paas me kisi chai ki tapri pe le chalo.” It’s quite ironic, and oddly accurate, that we talk to a bike about weather updates — especially, for residents of India’s urban locales, like the national capital, which ranks among the world’s most polluted cities when it comes to air quality index.
Alright, in addition to your generic voice commands, Krutrim AI will also offer predictive insights The company hasn’t detailed it yet, but if one were to take an educated guess, it would rely on data sourced from the onboard system stack and the internet-sourced data to offer relevant information. And oh, it will support a whole bunch of Indian languages.
The company’s presentation slide also mentions multi-modality. To put it simply, Krutrim AI will be able to take text, voice, as well as visual media as input, just the way ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini are now capable of processing user inputs in various formats apart from plan text. Multi-modality is a massive undertaking and fairly difficult to execute, but it would be interesting to see how Ola unfolds this aspect of Krutrim on its electric bikes.
Krutrim AI will make its way to Ola’s electric bikes with the upcoming MoveOS 5 update that will go into beta testing soon. The update also brings other niceties such as a smart co-pilot system, driver assistance, group navigation, location sharing, smart parking, and EV-first route planning.
Not the first boi
Ola won’t be the first two-wheeler brand to put AI on its bikes. At the EuroBike 2023 convention, Urtopia unveiled an electric bike equipped with a digital voice interface powered by ChatGPT. Dubbed the “world’s first ChatGPT-integrated E-bike,” it offered a voice-activated system that enables riders to pose questions and receive immediate responses.
In addition to its voice-activated capabilities, the aptly named “the bicycle with a mind.” delivers a comprehensive set of standard features, including built-in GPS, an anti-theft lock, and safety features. However, it also serves some unique and highly useful features. For instance, it seamlessly integrates with Apple’s fitness ecosystem and Strava, allowing riders to track their workouts and receive personalized advice.
Beyond its practical applications, ChatGPT offers cyclists a whole set of benefits. They can provide the bicycle with their specifications and body measurements, and ChatGPT will generate a customized cycling workout program tailored to their fitness level and objectives. Moreover, the assistant can assist with various bike repairs, create nutrition plans for cyclists, plan multi-stop touring routes, provide injury recovery advice, and offer information on safety, weather conditions, and local attractions.