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www.motortrend.com

Imagine your car playing you an ad based on your destination, vehicle information—and listening to your conversations.

Ford has patented a system that, per the filing, would use several different sources of information to customize ad content to play in your car. One such information stream that this hypothetical system would use to determine what sort of ads to serve could be could be the voice commands you’ve given to the car. It could also identify your voice and recognize you and your ad preferences, and those of your passengers. Finally, it could listen to your conversations and determine if it’s better to serve you a visual ad while you’re talking, or an audio ad when there’s a lull in the conversation.

If the system described in the patent knew that you were headed to the mall on the freeway based on destination information from the nav system and vehicle speed, it could consider how many ads to serve in the time you’ll be in the car, and whether to serve them on a screen or based through the audio system. If you respond more positively to audio ads, it might serve you more of those—how does every five minutes sound?

But what if the weather’s bad, traffic is heavy, and you’re chatting away with your passenger? Ford describes the system using the external sensors to perceive traffic levels and weather, and the internal microphone to understand conversational cadence, to “regulate the number (and relevance) of ads shown” to the occupants. Using the GPS, if it knows you’ve parked near a store, it might serve you ads relevant to that retail location. Got passengers? Maybe you get an audio ad, and they get a visual one.

Given how consumers feel about advertising and in-car privacy, it is difficult to imagine an implementation of this system that wouldn’t generate blowback. But again, the patent isn’t describing some imminent implementation; it just protects Ford’s IP that describes a possible system. That said, with the encroachment of subscription-based features, perhaps it’s only a matter of time before you’re accepting a $20/month discount to let your new Ford play you ads on your commute.

  • Zulu@lemmy.worldEnglish
    92·
    3 months ago

    Honestly good. Let no one else use that technology. Then all i have to do is not buy a ford.

    That said, if you plug your phone into your car, this tech is already in place lol.

    • SkyNTP@lemmy.mlEnglish
      34·
      3 months ago

      This is not how patents work. At all.

      For one, patent owners are generally more than happy to license their technology to integrators, and even competitors, if there is money to be made.

      More importantly, patents cannot be used to get exclusivity on products. Rather, patents can only protect novel approaches to how a product is made or served.

      The patent system is designed to protect R&D costs exclusively, not some get out of jail card for anti trust. Of course, the patent office isn’t perfect, the system does get abused in anti-competitive ways. But in the end, it’s rare that that results in less consumer choice, because of licensing deals.

      • Zulu@lemmy.worldEnglish
        6·
        3 months ago

        Yeah, the “let no one else use it” portion of my comment is what i meant when you say “patent owners are generally more than happy to license their tech”

        I hope ford doesn’t.

        And yes while patents dont grant exclusivity it gives a company the option to try and argue that a competitors version isnt novel enough. In the USA, where ford is from, patent law screwery is abounds if you have enough money. Of which Ford is backed by the US government.

        Im not here to point out whether or not the patent is the issue. The problem is the spying and selling of personal data. If ford proceeds in a way that limits that exposure to the rest of car manufacturers then fantastic, even if its only in a nominal way.

        I do still appreciate your refresher on how patents work though! Hope the rest of your day goes well.

      • Grimm665@lemm.eeEnglish
        6·
        3 months ago

        What was that headline about Facebook employees bragging about customer conversations they were listening in on? hmmmm

        • conciselyverbose@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
          3·
          3 months ago

          Choose between:

          Entirely fabricated

          or

          On their own hardware, that isn’t a smartphone, because they don’t make them.

          Both iOS and Android make it abundantly clear when your mic is hot and when apps have access to it. It’s not possible to listen undetected.

          • cirkuitbreaker@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
            2·
            3 months ago

            Google Assistant is able to activate simply by the user saying “Okay Google,” at any time, without pushing any buttons first. That means the microphone is always listening.

            • conciselyverbose@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
              2·
              3 months ago

              You should do your research on how wake words work. They literally are only capable of identifying the selected words and they do an obscene amount of training to do so efficiently, because actually processing all the audio your phone is exposed to can’t possibly be done in a reasonable way.

  • werefreeatlast@lemmy.worldEnglish
    56·
    3 months ago

    Me: I’ll just need a screwdriver and a hammer to chisel that shit off the motherboard from the radio 📻…

    Ford: actually it’s an integral part of the fuel pump, the fuel injection timing system, the breaking system and the battery BMS system…and the head light controller…it’s in all vital systems!

    Me: check out my all new Honda!

  • Gork@lemm.eeEnglish
    36·
    3 months ago

    Do they not realize this will hurt their Brand?

    Short term ad profits aren’t worth losing customers.

    • De_Narm@lemmy.worldEnglish
      45·
      3 months ago

      They very much are for a lot of people. Lines goes up, you can give yourself a nice bonus payout and if things come crashing down you leave. With your golden parachute of course.

      • fluckx@lemmy.worldEnglish
        9·
        3 months ago

        I guess they might lose customers, but the ad revenue will offset it. Which could be a win for them. Less cars to produce for the same amount of money. If they survive everybody else will probably just follow suit. Like the car functionality subscriptions.

        I’m just sad we reached this point.

        Ban targeted advertising. Ban data gathering. You won’t even have to deal with the f***ing cookie banners anymore.

    • limonfiesta@lemmy.worldEnglish
      6·
      3 months ago

      No, because the barrier to entry for car manufacturing is significant.

      If the other major car manufacturers weren’t already working a similar advertising system/platform, they’ve already scheduled multiple meetings to catch up.

      This isn’t a problem that will be solved by the market and competition, only by regulation.

      And I don’t consider tech savvy users learning how to hack and disable these features as a resolution, it’s just mitigation.

  • Bookmeat@lemmy.worldEnglish
    28·
    3 months ago

    Give me a free car and I’ll test it out with this “service”. I’m not buying a car that advertises to me.

  • Swampman@lemmy.worldEnglish
    24·
    3 months ago

    Lets hope this is one of those patents that they never do anything with while simultaneously denying everyone else the opportunity to do it.

    Like that 2009 Sony patent that makes you get up from your seat and yell out the name of the brand to end an ad.

    • viralJ@lemmy.worldEnglish
      3·
      3 months ago

      2009? It will expire in 5 years and we’ll be inundated with devices that require you to get up from your seat and yell out the name of the brand to end an ad ☹️

      • Echo Dot@feddit.ukEnglish
        2·
        3 months ago

        Ikea are worried as then they will have to come down firm on a pronunciation.

        It is either eye key eh, or i key ah, but even they don’t seem to know.

  • MrAlternateTape@lemm.eeEnglish
    24·
    3 months ago

    I really hope my car holds out for a long time, because fuck ads in my car. I don’t want my car to listen to anything but the controls I use to drive.

    Is there really anybody who thinks they would like that?

    • plz1@lemmy.worldEnglish
      24·
      3 months ago

      Is there really anybody who thinks they would like that?

      Auto companies don’t care what people like, only what level of BS people would put up with before going to a different brand.

      • 11111one11111@lemmy.worldEnglish
        17·
        3 months ago

        Companies don’t care what people like, only what level of BS people would put up with before going to a different brand.

        Ftfy

  • Bosht@lemmy.worldEnglish
    23·
    3 months ago

    Of all the amazing futures that technology could bring us, this is the black hell we get stuck with.

  • fubarx@lemmy.mlEnglish
    23·
    3 months ago

    NEW feature: As you drive down the road, Ford cars will automatically take over and drive you to the nearest sponsor location. Hungry? It will take over and swerve into the nearest KFC drive-thru. Next stop, CVS pharmacy, then Office Depot.

    Disclaimer: Disabling AutoAd feature requires monthly subscription.

  • simonced@lemmy.oneEnglish
    17·
    3 months ago

    There was an article saying that ppl don’t buy enough EVs, but with all the shit they put in it, the problem is beyond the type of engine…

    • Echo Dot@feddit.ukEnglish
      2·
      3 months ago

      People don’t buy EVs because they are way too expensive. BS spy devices and features hidden behind paywalls can be put in anything.

  • vegeta@lemmy.worldEnglish
    15·
    3 months ago

    I’m already sick of ads at gas station pumps, and will just sit in my car in order to avoid them.

    • Askundilras@lemmy.worldEnglish
      6·
      3 months ago

      Ads at the pump? What do you live? Luckily I haven’t seen them in Germany yet. Guess it’s only a matter of time…

    • Telorand@reddthat.comEnglish
      4·
      3 months ago

      One of the buttons around the screen mutes them, in case you weren’t aware. I’ve found that it’s usually one of the ones on the top right, but it can vary.

      • Anti_Iridium@lemmy.worldEnglish
        8·
        3 months ago

        I swear I’m going to break one of those pumps with how hard I push the buttons on the fucking thing that starts talking to me. I’ll never choose to go to a fuel station with those.

      • LucasWaffyWaf@lemmy.worldEnglish
        6·
        3 months ago

        Not always. I’ve been to a couple pumps where none of the buttons did anything. At that point I’m tempted to get a squirt gun to spray into the speakers, hope it does something useful to the speakers.

        • bobs_monkey@lemm.eeEnglish
          6·
          3 months ago

          Most of Arco/BPs new pumps don’t allow mute as far as I’ve found, I just layer electrical tape on the speaker

    • Echo Dot@feddit.ukEnglish
      2·
      3 months ago

      What if this is the best timeline?

      I can’t imagine there is any reality out there where capitalism doesn’t exist.

  • StarshotJohn@lemmy.worldEnglish
    11·
    3 months ago

    Will they turn it off when you test drive? I bet there will be some nefarious test drive mode that doesn’t show how fucked the car’s systems are.