Hyundai and Kia have teamed up with an AI specialist to bring speech recognition to upcoming cars.
The specialist in question is Kakao, another South Korea-based firm. Its AI platform, Kakao I, is able to recognize not only speech but text and images, but it’s being integrated into a custom system with Hyundai and Kia that will focus on server-hosted speech interaction for drivers, letting them ask for directions to various destinations while behind the wheel.
The partnerships highlight the growing importance of software and IT to automakers as the smart car concept continues to evolve, with companies like Microsoft, BlackBerry, and IBM now licensing their technology to firms in the automotive industry. Kakao’s work with Hyundai and Kia has been underway since last year, and in a statement announcing the latest developments Kakao said the companies “plan to continue the partnership on AI technology, as well as commercialization of connected cars.”
Hyundai’s Genesis G70 luxury car, slated for release this September, will be the first vehicle to feature the custom Kakao system.
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