Joint Development with SoundHound
A voice-recognition personal assistant service will be deployed in new models of Hyundai Motor, Kia Motors and Genesis set to roll out as early as 2019.
Hyundai Motor Group announced on December 21 that it has completed the development of a voice-recognition personal assistant using voice-enabled artificial intelligence (AI) and conversational intelligence technologies jointly with SoundHound Inc., and will adopt the service in new cars to be released from 2019.
Established in 2005, SoundHound is a Silicon Valley-based leading innovator in voice recognition, AI and music information retrieval technologies. The company holds unrivaled technological prowess in the complicated natural language recognition sector so about 15,000 companies around the world, such as NVIDIA, Uber and Sharp, are currently using SoundHound voice recognition platform.
The voice-recognition platform called Intelligent Personal Agent controls in-car systems and features, and provides information for drivers on a real-time basis.
The system is activated by the wake-up voice command: "Hi, Hyundai." When activated, the Intelligent Personal Agent reacts to the driver's voice commands or questions by communicating with SoundHound AI server to search for the requested information or complete a task. These personal features combine with an array of driver conveniences, such as the ability to make phone calls, send text messages, search destinations, search and play music, check weather and manage schedules. It also allows drivers to voice-control frequently used in-vehicle functions such as air-conditioning, sunroofs and door locks.
In addition, the Intelligent Personal Agent supports a "Car-to-Home" service, enabling drivers to control various electronic devices at home with simple voice commands. It is also unique in that it acts as a proactive assistant system called “Smart Care,” predicting the driver's needs and providing useful information. For instance, the system may give an early reminder of an upcoming meeting and suggest departure times that account for current traffic conditions.
Currently, the Intelligent Personal Agent understands only English but will expand support to other major languages and provide every other country with differentiated services using the platform in the future. Hyundai Motor will unveil the Intelligent Personal Agent during CES 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada, in January next year. In February, it also plans to demonstrate a simplified version of the Intelligent Personal Agent, equipping next-generation Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs) scheduled for test drives on South Korean freeways and roads with the system.