A computer-implemented method executed on a computing device, said method comprising: using an infotainment system having a microphone, a speech processing system, and a video camera to monitor an interior environment of a motor vehicle; based on information provided by said microphone and said video camera, determining a personal state of an occupant within the interior environment of the motor vehicle; and interacting with the occupant based at least in part on the personal state of the occupant, wherein using the infotainment system comprises monitoring the interior environment with the video camera and the microphone, wherein the infotainment system is incorporated into the motor vehicle, wherein the state of the occupant is one of a physiological state, an external state, a mental state, and an internal state of the occupant, and wherein interacting with the occupant based at least in part on the personal state of the occupant comprises, upon having detected that the occupant appears to be sleepy and/or impaired, engaging the occupant in a synthetic conversation involving speech recognition, natural language understanding, dialog management, and speech synthesis in an attempt to heighten the level of alertness of the occupant and, in an attempt to heighten the level of alertness of the occupant, one or more of: lowering one or more windows of the motor vehicle upon having detected that the occupant appears to be sleepy or impaired, adjusting an entertainment system of said motor vehicle in the event that the occupant appears to be impaired or sleepy, adjusting an interior light of said motor vehicle in the event that the occupant appears to be impaired or sleepy, adjusting seating in said motor vehicle in the event that the occupant appears to be impaired or sleepy, and triggering (234, 236) an alarm in said motor vehicle in the event that the occupant appears to be impaired or sleepy. using an infotainment system having a microphone, a speech processing system, and a video camera to monitor an interior environment of a motor vehicle; based on information provided by said microphone and said video camera, determining a personal state of an occupant within the interior environment of the motor vehicle; and interacting with the occupant based at least in part on the personal state of the occupant, wherein using the infotainment system comprises monitoring the interior environment with the video camera and the microphone, wherein the infotainment system is incorporated into the motor vehicle, wherein the state of the occupant is one of a physiological state, an external state, a mental state, and an internal state of the occupant, and wherein interacting with the occupant based at least in part on the personal state of the occupant comprises, upon having detected that the occupant appears to be sleepy and/or impaired, engaging the occupant in a synthetic conversation involving speech recognition, natural language understanding, dialog management, and speech synthesis in an attempt to heighten the level of alertness of the occupant and, in an attempt to heighten the level of alertness of the occupant, one or more of: lowering one or more windows of the motor vehicle upon having detected that the occupant appears to be sleepy or impaired, adjusting an entertainment system of said motor vehicle in the event that the occupant appears to be impaired or sleepy, adjusting an interior light of said motor vehicle in the event that the occupant appears to be impaired or sleepy, adjusting seating in said motor vehicle in the event that the occupant appears to be impaired or sleepy, and triggering (234, 236) an alarm in said motor vehicle in the event that the occupant appears to be impaired or sleepy. lowering one or more windows of the motor vehicle upon having detected that the occupant appears to be sleepy or impaired, adjusting an entertainment system of said motor vehicle in the event that the occupant appears to be impaired or sleepy, adjusting an interior light of said motor vehicle in the event that the occupant appears to be impaired or sleepy, adjusting seating in said motor vehicle in the event that the occupant appears to be impaired or sleepy, and triggering (234, 236) an alarm in said motor vehicle in the event that the occupant appears to be impaired or sleepy.