The Sony Vision S was one of the CES big surprises that the Japanese manufacturer has presented its plans to enter the automotive sector. Now the South Korean competitor LG has also launched its hat in the ring with a new connected car platform powered by AI.
The trend continues: traditional mainstream tech companies are desperate to get into the auto industry. LG has announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding with Cerence Inc. – which has just separated from Nuance Communications – to develop a new software solution that integrates the WebOS Auto In-Vehicle infotainment system (IVI) from LG with Cerence ARK (AI Reference Kit). The result will be another new digital voice assistant for the automotive market.
Together, the companies aim to create a more practical on-board experience through voice commands that allow drivers and passengers to have more control over car functions, navigation and multimedia content. It all looks a lot like another direct competitor Android Auto from Google and Apple CarPlay.
LG Electronics signs a partnership with Cerence Inc. to create software for the automotive market. / © LG
The partnership is expected to allow more efficient management of the resources needed to integrate Cerence ARK with webOS Auto, and companies say they aim to provide OEMs and Tier 1 manufacturers with a pre-packaged, full-stack IVI software system that will shorten the time to market.
LG's WebOS Auto is a Linux-based IVI platform for connected cars designed to provide automakers with productivity and flexibility for what the company calls "the next generation embedded experience". Cerence ARK is a turnkey automotive product that allows automakers to develop, deploy and manage a fully localized automotive voice assistant. Nothing has been announced about the type of artificial intelligence used here, or whether LG is developing its own digital voice assistant for the project. The company is already working with Google and Amazon to bring Assistant and Alexa to its connected home appliances and TVs.
"We are delighted with this collaboration with Cerence to develop a turnkey voice solution for car and component manufacturers today in order to accelerate the arrival of the connected car", said Dr. IP Park, President and CTO of LG Electronics. "We will continue to evolve webOS Auto by offering a wider range of AI-based experiences to car manufacturers and customers."
"We are honored and thrilled to partner with LG Electronics for a solution that harnesses the collective power and promise of webOS Auto and Cerence ARK," said Sanjay Dhawan, CEO of Cerence. "This new offering will help leading automakers and suppliers to innovate quickly, accelerate time to market, and deliver an industry-leading on-board experience like no other."
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