Cerence’s New Voice AI Features Let You Talk to Your Car Before You Get In
Automotive voice AI developer Cerence has unveiled new features that enable drivers to talk to their car voice assistant from outside the vehicle. The new Cerence Exterior Vehicle Communication extends the voice assistant beyond the car so that drivers can use voice commands to operate doors, lights, and other controls without sitting inside first.
Parking Lot Listening
More and more new cars incorporate microphones into the outside of the vehicles, especially as they experiment with autonomous driving. Cerence designed the Exterior Vehicle Communication software to essentially give those car owners access to their vehicle’s voice assistant more quickly. The car can respond to requests from drivers outside the vehicle to turn on lights, open and close the trunk, or unlock the doors. When the microphones are built with exterior speakers, the driver can use Cerence to activate both for conversations with people outside the car without having to roll down the windows. Cerence can also use the new tools for autonomous parking, getting out of the vehicle and telling the car to “park in this spot.” The AI uses voice security features like checking for the user’s key and voice biometrics to identify the owner or any approved user when they speak.
“Throughout our long history and from the early days of speech recognition, we’ve led the industry with voice-powered technologies that have transformed the in-car experience,” Cerence senior vice president Christophe Couvreur said. “Cerence Exterior Vehicle Communication is perfectly suited for the car of today and tomorrow. With ever-increasing levels of autonomy transforming the very definition of driving, now is the time to leverage our expertise to create an entirely new way for people to communicate with cars, both now and in the car of tomorrow.”
Cerence Advances
The new feature fits with Cerence’s latest spate of technological improvements and partnerships. The company recently announced support for Nvidia’s new Drive Concierge in-car infotainment system, which offers screens and entertainment for individual passengers as well as the driver. Cerence is also working on a revamped platform for BMW and is embedding the latest version of Microsoft Teams in its voice AI system.
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