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Xiaomi's voice assistant fails in public again (but it can control Ikea lights)

Lei Jun says "do you make mistakes every time there’s a demonstration?"

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Xiaomi's voice assistant fails in public again (but it can control Ikea lights)
This article originally appeared on ABACUS

Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun’s presentation of Xiaomi’s virtual assistant Xiao Ai on Wednesday was described by some as a train wreck.

"What can you do?” Lei asked Xiao Ai.

"I’m still too young, this question is too hard," the AI voice assistant said, speaking through a tiny Bluetooth speaker.

­"Xiao Ai, what is 125 plus 357 plus 567?” Lei asked again. Xiao Ai kept silent.

“Xiao Ai, do you make mistakes every time there’s a demonstration?,” said Lei, laughing after the voice assistant failed to deliver correct answers to an audience gathered at Xiaomi’s AIoT conference in Beijing.

CEO of Xiaomi Lei Jun at AIOT Developer Conference in Beijing on November 28, 2019. (Picture: Xiaomi)
CEO of Xiaomi Lei Jun at AIOT Developer Conference in Beijing on November 28, 2019. (Picture: Xiaomi)

Despite not dazzling the audience, Xiao Ai made a pretty good deal for itself that day. The voice assistant will be able to control Ikea's smart devices like lamps, under a new strategic cooperation deal with the Swedish furniture maker.

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