For many of us, the daily commute is a bore. There’s the drone of the highway, the whiny rant of the local DJ and the all-too-familiar scenery day in and day out.Within the next couple of years, though, that daily grind on the road could get a bit more interesting. The Road’s Scholar, currently in development at Detroit-based research and development company ejTalk, is promoted as a “conversation agent”?a safe and entertaining tool for long drives. Using VoiceXML and a cell phone, the Road’s Scholar lets solitary drivers interact with a robotic voice that asks trivia questions and shares tips such as how to classify wine and understand stocks. “It talks to you and gets your brain going,” says Emmett Coin, ejTalk CEO and industrial poet. The most useful aspect of the Road’s Scholar could be its ability to determine when a driver is nodding off and needs a little mental stimulation. Sensors that notice changes in motion on mechanisms such as the gas pedal or the steering wheel would activate the system, and the driver would hear, “I didn’t mean to startle you, but you seem to be less attentive to the road just now. Would you like to chat for a bit?” The driver would respond with “yes” or even “sure” and can take a rousing quiz about low-key facts, such as state capitols. The information has to be entertaining but not too entertaining, Coin says. “We have to keep things interesting but have a nice balance to not be distracting,” he says. “It’s important to keep people safe.” Related content BrandPost Are tech layoffs inevitable, or can your company avoid them? Despite tech industry layoffs, one ITSM company remains committed to growth and expansion of internal teams. The company’s successful endeavor is largely credited to one difference between TOPdesk and other tech organizations. By TOPdesk Mar 30, 2023 6 mins IT Leadership Analysis CIOs must evolve to stave off existential threat to their role With LOB leaders learning tech faster than CIOs gain business-savvy, IT leaders must strengthen advisory skills, build relationships, and embrace strategic transformation before losing out to business counterparts. By Yashvendra Singh Mar 30, 2023 10 mins Roles Opinion 5 ways AI will transform CRM Recent announcements by Microsoft and Salesforce on how they’re ramping up integration of AI tools into their software offerings mark the start of a revolution in the CRM marketplace. By Martin De Saulles Mar 30, 2023 4 mins Channel Sales CRM Systems Artificial Intelligence Interview From CIO to CX SVP, Cisco’s Jacqueline Guichelaar takes a road less travelled By David Binning Mar 29, 2023 7 mins Careers IT Leadership Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe