“Thanks to Cerence’s natural language capabilities, users will not need to use specific voice commands to navigate the platform.”

Cerence has formalized its business relationship with HERE Technologies. The two teams formerly worked together when Cerence was still under the Nuance Communications umbrella, and are reaffirming that commitment now that Cerence has spun out on its own. 

HERE Technologies is a mapping and geolocation specialist. Cerence will integrate HERE’s solutions into its Cerence Drive portfolio to provide its customers with access to HERE’s suite of maps and APIs. Drivers can use the platform to find weather reports, as well as nearby gas stations, charging stations, parking lots, and other points of interest (POI).  

Thanks to Cerence’s natural language capabilities, users will not need to use specific voice commands to navigate the platform. The AI will instead be able to pick up conversational context, and tweak its recommendations based on user preferences. Cerence will also use eye tracking and voice recognition with HERE’s 3D maps to provide drivers with information about points outside of the car and improve the overall utility of its mobility assistant.

“HERE is a trusted partner, and their extensive map and POI data is critical to bringing drivers a powerful experience they can count on in their day-to-day lives,” said Cerence EVT and Core Automotive General Manager Stefan Ortmanns.

“Accurate location information is integral to enable a driver to fully leverage the assistant and its capabilities,” added HERE Chief Product Officer Jørgen Behrens. “We are thrilled to work with Cerence to create a voice-powered experience that enhances productivity and safety in the vehicle.”

HERE’s technology will be integrated into smart car systems for a variety of leading automotive manufacturers, including existing Cerence customers like Mercedes-Benz and BMW. In the meantime, Cerence unveiled a gesture recognition windshield at CES 2020, and released a new Cognitive Arbiter that is able to direct voice commands to the right virtual assistant in a vehicle with multiple voice based services.