Google Gemini rolls out in Volvo and Mercedes vehicles as Hungarian AI enables drone wildlife monitoring

Google Gemini, the company’s generative AI, is being integrated into Volvo and Mercedes‑Benz cars that support Android Auto. The system uses the vehicle’s onboard cameras and real‑time visual processing to answer driver queries such as “Can I park here?” and to provide detailed navigation cues, aiming to reduce parking fines and improve route guidance.

Researchers at ELTE in Budapest, together with partners from the Max Planck Institute and Stuttgart University, have developed the RAPID algorithm. It can recognise and identify individual wild animals—including zebras, giraffes and tigers—from a drone’s camera feed in real time, processing up to 40‑60 identifications per second on a standard computer. The open‑source tool promises non‑invasive, continuous monitoring of endangered species.