LG, SoundHound Team Up for Advanced AI Voice Control in Vehicles

pcmag.com:

LG and SoundHound are teaming up to develop an advanced AI voice system to enable conversational voice control in vehicles.

SoundHound's voice recognition technology will be integrated with LG's in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) system(Opens in a new window), allowing drivers to control key functions using natural language commands.

Just as you'd ask Alexa to turn on the bedroom lights or request Siri play a podcast episode, motorists will be able to pay for gas and parking or order food directly from their vehicle using a built-in microphone and display.

Available initially only as an optional extra in select luxury vehicle models, voice recognition is beginning to see wider adoption in vehicles, according to LG. Voice AI technology makes it possible for drivers to perform various tasks without taking their hands off the wheel or their eyes off the road.

"[We] look forward to providing new in-vehicle experiences through seamlessly integrating [SoundHound's] voice AI platform with our latest IVI system architecture," Eun Seok-hyun, president of LG Vehicle component Solutions (VS), said in a statement. "This partnership will allow us to better meet the needs of our auto industry customers and create innovative solutions that will help [drive] the future of mobility."

SoundHound—best known as a song identification app (and Shazam rival)—was founded in 2005 by Keyvan Mohajer; the Santa Clara-based company also develops speech recognition and natural language understanding technologies, including voice AI developer platform Houndify and voice-enabled digital assistant Hound.

In 2015, SoundHound became the first music recognition service to ship in cars, starting with the Hyundai Genesis; three years later, it began providing