SoundHound AI, Inc. (Nasdaq: SOUN), a global leader in voice artificial intelligence, today announced its SoundHound Chat AI voice assistant has launched new customization tools to help transform how automotive brands interact with their customers within the vehicle. The new features are currently being piloted with some of SoundHound’s OEM partners.
In addition to the core features offered from SoundHound Chat AI’s best-in-class voice assistant – which integrates generative AI capabilities with car controls and real-time domains like flight times, navigation, and weather – OEMs will be able to take control with customizations that work for their loyal consumers and align closely with their identity as an automaker.
This new layer of customization will provide drivers with a more engaging and informative experience, allowing them to explore vehicle features and functionalities with greater ease and effectiveness.
Brand ID
SoundHound Chat AI’s custom Brand ID tool introduces a new way for automotive partners to shape their brand’s interaction with customers. OEMs can now set predefined answers to common and brand-relevant questions. This feature offers:
- Custom Brand Attributes and Safety: Adjust responses to reflect brand image and handle sensitive topics with care.
- Time-Limited Changes: Easily implement seasonal or campaign-specific updates.
- Global Language and Variant Support: Enter a question in one language and deploy it across all supported languages, with adaptability to various question variants.
Onboarding and Education
SoundHound Chat AI’s Onboarding and Education feature allows automakers to seamlessly integrate personalized branding and educate users on the functionalities of their in-vehicle voice assistants. This includes onboarding hints to engage users, as well as customizable greetings, guidance on instruction manual access, and more.
In a recent SoundHound study, “How Generative AI Will Help Automakers Build Great In-Car Experiences,” the company found that 87% of regular drivers employ their voice assistant, with usage frequencies hitting 50% weekly and 37% daily. These statistics indicate that while many drivers are accessing voice AI capabilities, they often do not fully utilize them. SoundHound Chat AI’s Onboarding and Education tool will unlock a more immersive, voice-driven experience, evolving from basic vehicle controls to a prominent and central part of the in-car experience.
As innovation and technological advancements in the automotive industry evolve, these new features from SoundHound Chat AI allow automakers to keep the end user in focus. SoundHound’s customization tools underscore a commitment to enhancing the user experience as well the value of the in-vehicle assistant for OEMs.
Customization services – including further features in SoundHound’s product pipeline – will be available to automakers in a SaaS model. This will enable partners to benefit from AI customization on an ongoing basis and allow OEMs to evolve their assistant to suit changing brand and customer needs.
“SoundHound Chat AI has evolved beyond a general in-car experience by offering a tailored voice assistant that allows automakers to strengthen the perception of their brand,” said Michael Zagorsek, COO of SoundHound AI. “Furthermore, the new tools we’re launching today enable OEMs to carefully guide and educate their customers on the power of their customized in-vehicle voice assistant, helping increase adoption and repeat usage.
This announcement follows recent launches of SoundHound Chat AI in Alfa Romeo, Citroën, Peugeot, Opel, Vauxhall, and DS Automobiles. In March 2024, SoundHound AI announced that Stellantis’ DS Automobiles was the first automaker in the world to go into full production with a voice assistant that integrates the latest generative AI technology via SoundHound Chat AI. Learn more about SoundHound Chat AI here.
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