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FORTUNE.COM// FEB.1 .19turn up the thermostat, turn off the lights,
and lock the doors from miles away. But if the
benefits of bringing Amazon Alexa, Apple’s
Siri, or Google Assistant into the car seem
endless, so do concerns about privacy and how
the information collected will be used.
“Consumers have good reasons to be
concerned about the use of voice-recognition
systems in cars,” says Christine Bannan, an at-
torney for the Electronic Privacy Information
Center, a consumer advocacy group in Wash-
ington, D.C. “There is a false narrative that
because consumers embrace new technology,
that means they are indifferent about privacy.”
An estimated 120 million cars will be
equipped with voice-recognition systems next
year, up from 40 million in 2018, according
to IHS Markit. Currently, most in-car systems
are smartphone-based, but Amazon and
Google are also developing embedded devices
that can work in cars without being tethered
to a phone.TECH
INCHING DOWN THE FREEWAY,a driver realizes she’s forgotten
her weekend plans and asks her digital copilot to check
her calendar. Within seconds, a voice emanates from the car’s
speakers telling the driver that she has RSVP’d to a friend’s
birthday party and then suggesting a gift—a Detroit Lions jersey.
The entire process ends less than two minutes after the driver
asks the digital assistant to order the jersey. Meanwhile, the
dialogue inside the car is sent to a distant data center, ready to
be mined for ads pitching an NFL game, even though the driver
dislikes football.
Once clunky and buggy, voice-recognition technology is
improving and quickly spreading to the dashboard, allowing
drivers to issue a wider range of commands using natural speech.
Designed to keep drivers’ eyes on the road, “personal assistants”
powered by artificial intelligence can perform a variety of func-
tions, from managing calendars to placing Amazon Prime orders.
When synced with smart-home gadgets, the software can alsoDigital assistants may be a convenience for drivers,
but they also raise serious privacy questions over the
information they collect. By Jaclyn Trop
THE SPY INSIDE YOUR CAR
ILLUSTRATION BYADAM HAYES