Upgraded AI Assistant for Cars Can Identify Passengers’ Voices, Help Respond to Texts

Nuance Communications has upgraded its Dragon Drive AI assistant platform for cars.

The platform now features an always-listening voice wakeup function, and is able to distinguish between multiple passengers using voice biometrics, meaning it can engage with different individuals depending on who is talking. It also now sports AI-enhanced text messaging, allowing the AI assistant interpret and respond to certain kinds of information in received texts; for example, a text asking if the driver would like to meet at a certain location will trigger a prompt asking the driver if she wants directions to that location. Likewise, the driver could ask Dragon Drive to reply to the text with the estimated arrival time, and the system will fill in the details.

It’s another example of Nuance’s evolving voice-based AI technology, which has lately found its way into consumer robots and an IoT communications platform.

Dragon Drive was named an Innovation Awards Honoree at last year’s Consumer Electronics Show, and Nuance is showing off the upgraded system at this week’s CES 2017 event in Las Vegas, where enhanced smart car technology is already getting a substantial amount of buzz. And with the upgraded Dragon Drive already having been embraced by BMW for its 2016 and 2017 vehicles, Nuance should have a strong case to make for its offering.