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 Sponsored by FPT Software Time for New Partnership Paradigms to Be Future-fit By Veronica Lew Dec 06, 2023 5 mins Vendors and Providers brandpost Sponsored by BMC Why CIOs should prioritize AIOps in 2024 AIOps empowers IT to manage services by incorporating AI/ML into operations. By Jeff Miller Dec 06, 2023 3 mins IT Leadership opinion Generative AI in enterprises: LLM orchestration holds the key to success In the dynamic landscape of AI, LLMs represent a pivotal breakthrough. Unlike traditional AI, which demands frequent data updates, LLMs possess the ability to learn and adapt in real-time. This mirrors human learning and positions LLMs as essential f By Shail Khiyara Dec 06, 2023 10 mins Generative AI Artificial Intelligence brandpost Sponsored by Freshworks How gen AI is joining the holiday shopping season One year after the launch of ChatGPT, the retail industry is embracing generative AI to deliver a variety of benefits By Elliot Markowitz Dec 06, 2023 4 mins Generative AI 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