Cerence is collaborating with Mercedes-Benz Korea to bring this integrated capability to drivers of select Mercedes-Benz models in Korea via MBUX.
AI company Cerence has announced that it has enhanced its cloud services capabilities in Korea through new interoperability with KT’s GiGA Genie, the company’s voice-controlled virtual assistant.
Leveraging Cerence Cognitive Arbitrator, Mercedes-Benz Korea has signed on as the first automaker to bring this integrated capability to drivers of select models, including Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Mercedes-Benz EQS, Mercedes-Benz E-Class and Mercedes-Benz EQA, in Korea via its Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX), its infotainment and virtual assistant system.
KT, a large telecom operator and digital platform company in Korea, first introduced GiGA Genie in 2017 as an AI-powered television set-top box and integrated virtual assistant.
GiGA Genie currently provides its three million users with voice-enabled access to a wide variety of KT content and services, including music, video, games, shopping and general knowledge.
To further extend users’ access to GiGA Genie, Cerence and KT have teamed up to bring GiGA Genie’s smart capabilities directly into Cerence-powered automotive assistants via Cerence Cognitive Arbitrator.
In the case of MBUX, drivers can, for example, say: “Hey Mercedes, how much did Parasite gross at the box office?” or “Hey Mercedes, what shall I have for dinner tonight?” MBUX intuitively knows where to route the request and how best to complete the driver’s desired action, providing a streamlined, effortless user experience.
“GiGA Genie has been a driving force in the growing popularity of voice-powered assistants in Korea,” said Kangrim Choi, SVP and Head of AI Mobility Business Unit, KT. “We are proud to partner with Cerence to bring GiGA Genie to an entirely new environment in a seamless, integrated offering that makes accessing the assistant’s content, services and capabilities easy for drivers while on the go.”
Stefan Ortmanns, CEO, Cerence, said: “Consumers globally have an ever-expanding digital life that spans a variety of assistants and services. As their ecosystems become more complex, interoperability is key, especially in the car.
“By leveraging our Cerence Cognitive Arbitrator to make GiGA Genie accessible via the automotive assistant, KT has firmly established its commitment to a simple, intuitive user experience. We are excited to team up with KT and support our long-term partner, Mercedes-Benz, as they bring this important capability to drivers of select Mercedes-Benz models in Korea.”
Cerence Cognitive Arbitrator makes it fast and easy for automakers to build in-car voice systems that deliver co-existence between the wide variety of virtual assistants, third-party services and content – including KT’s GiGA Genie – available in today’s global digital ecosystem.
Through a single interface, Cerence Cognitive Arbitrator removes the complexity of whether the Cerence-powered assistant or GiGA Genie should execute a given task, giving drivers flexibility and enabling automakers to maintain their brand experience and data ownership.
Cerence Cognitive Arbitrator serves as a voice router, listening, understanding and routing users’ requests to best accomplish the task, without needing to specify which assistant should receive and complete the request.
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