Cerence‘s conversational AI technology will power the next generation of Audi’s AI assistant, the company has announced.

The technology is being delivered to Audi in the form of Cerence Drive, a platform including speech recognition, natural language understanding, and text-to-speech capabilities. The AI technology is based on deep learning algorithms, and is designed to understand end users’ natural, everyday speech, and to respond in an expressive manner.

For its part, Audi has been working with Cerence since the latter was still a branch of conversational AI specialist Nuance Communications, from which it spun off last autumn. It has now incorporated Cerence Drive into a new voice assistant featured in its A1, A4, A6, A8, Q3, and Q7 vehicles, with more integrations planned for additional models later this year.

“Cerence Drive makes it possible for leading automakers, like Audi, to create highly customized and branded experiences that enable deeper connections between drivers and their cars,” commented Cerence CEO Sanjay Dhawan in a statement announcing the collaboration. “With Audi’s new voice personality and a keen attention to the applications, services, and content that are core to the Audi driving experience, we’ve delivered a natural, comfortable, and intelligent interface that truly differentiates the Audi system.”

The news arrives shortly after Cerence’s announcement that it had adapted its Cerence ARK development kit solution for US English, and after posting a quarterly update earlier this month in which the company reported improved revenue and EBITDA results, but withdrew its 2020 fiscal guidance due to uncertainty over the COVID-19 pandemic.