New Kia AI Assistant is Not Very Helpful

Kia, like a lot of other automakers, wants you to get excited about artificial intelligence. One day, we’ll have AI driving us around and doing all sorts of other things. To help you warm up to this idea, the Korean automaker has released Kian, a Facebook messaging AI, to answer your questions about Kia vehicles.

Sounds like a great concept, but my experience with Kian has been less than ideal. Kia worked with CarLabs to create this chatbot, which is supposed to help with everything from researching vehicles to estimating monthly payments. Supposedly, the AI is programmed to answer hundreds of questions. I’m going to say that wasn’t enough.

Admittedly, I asked Kian some difficult questions, and I already knew the answers. But not everyone does, and they may really want a quality answer. Kian struggled when I asked about models that would be good for trail runs, recommending the Rio and Rio 5-Door. That would make for an interesting time in Moab.

Then I asked which Kias have four-wheel drive. Kian replied with the Rio EX wheel and tire specs. After each question, the AI wanted to know how many people would be riding in the vehicle. So the tech isn’t perfect, and it certainly wouldn’t replace a knowledgeable salesman, but I’ve dealt with some people on car lots that kind of remind me of Kian.