Houndify voice AI powers in-car assistant in Honda’s newest European models

SoundHound Inc. the leading innovator of voice-enabled AI and conversational intelligence technologies, announced a milestone in its strategic partnership with Honda Motor Company with the integration of its Houndify voice AI platform into the new Honda e electric car and the top selling Honda Jazz in Europe.

The Honda Personal Assistant—powered by Houndify—gives drivers an in-car conversational interface allowing them to control their environment, while accessing navigation, entertainment, and information hands-free. The personal assistant supports five major European languages.

Houndify voice AI includes patented Speech-to-Meaning and Deep Meaning Understanding technologies to deliver unprecedented speed and accuracy in voice recognition and responses. The platform's ability to understand context, such as the user's location or previous queries, eliminates the need to repeat information and allows more natural conversations.

Through the power of Houndify's voice AI, drivers and passengers can ask Honda Personal Assistant even the most complex questions, such as: “OK Honda, show me restaurants within five kilometres, except French and Japanese ones, that have Wi-Fi, have at least three stars, and are open past 10 pm”. Houndify's ability to remember context allows for useful follow-up questions, such as “Does it have parking?” The natural language interface can proactively prompt for the next step, like directions to the destination. Deep navigation integration allows drivers to further the experience by asking questions such as, “Are there any convenience stores along the way?”

“Honda e is the first fully electric vehicle to feature Houndify's voice AI platform, and Jazz is one of Honda's most popular cars in Europe,” said Keyvan Mohajer, CEO and Co-Founder of SoundHound Inc. “We are proud of our partnership with Honda Motor Company and look forward to the growing use of the Honda Personal Assistant in Europe.”

SoundHound Inc. and Honda Motor Company first announced their partnership in October 2018 and premiered their collaboration at the 2019 Tokyo Motor show, where they demonstrated the Honda Personal Assistant to positive reviews. The voice-enabled Honda Personal Assistant is available on Honda e and select Honda Jazz models in French, German, Spanish, Italian, and English languages.