Hyundai and Kia to offer AI assistants

Hyundai and Kia both have reputations as keeping up to date with leading car technologies, so its no news that the Korean automakers have revealed a plan to include AI assistants in their new cars starting from 2019.  The two brands took a major step towards equipping future connected vehicles with the voice recognition technology necessary to keep pace with growing, real-time data needs of drivers. Hyundai's "Intelligent Personal Agent," (IPA), a voice-enabled virtual assistant system, will be deployed in new models set to roll out as early as 2019. The Intelligent Personal Agent is unique in that it acts as a proactive assistant system, predicting the driver's needs and providing useful information. For instance, the system may give an early reminder of an upcoming meeting and suggest departure times that account for current traffic conditions. This sounds a lot like what other voice assistants do, but the car brands are counting on support for "multiple-command recognition" to set itself apart from the competition. When the user says, "Tell me what the weather will be like tomorrow and turn off the lights in our living room," the system recognises two separate commands in the same sentence and completes each task separately. You won't have to wait until 2019 to see the technology in action. Hyundai will unveil Intelligent Personal Agent, at CES 2018, and it'll test a "simplified" take on the Agent in hydrogen fuel cell cars slated to drive on South Korean roads throughout the year. It's hard to say if IPA will have an advantage over companies borrowing AI from the likes of Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant, but it's more the universality that will be important due to the fact that you won't have to buy a premium car to treat your car like a smart home hub.