Alibaba ties up with Audi, Renault and Honda to offer smart voice services in cars in China

Alibaba Group Holding announced partnerships with auto giants Audi, Renault and Honda on Tuesday, as the e-commerce juggernaut rolls out voice discovery services in cars at a time when smart speaker devices have become a battlefront among internet companies.

Under the agreement, new cars with smart and internet-enabled features from the companies in China, will integrate Tmall Genie Auto, an artificial intelligence (AI) platform developed by Alibaba AI lab.

Alibaba Group Holding announced partnerships with auto giants Audi, Renault and Honda on Tuesday, as the e-commerce juggernaut rolls out voice discovery services in cars at a time when smart speaker devices have become a battlefront among internet companies.

Under the agreement, new cars with smart and internet-enabled features from the companies in China, will integrate Tmall Genie Auto, an artificial intelligence (AI) platform developed by Alibaba AI lab.

This will offer car owners a range of voice-controlled services, including identification of nearby attractions and restaurants, the ability to book movie tickets and order items on Alibaba’s retail platform, order to-go food boxes and check the status of package deliveries.

Car owners with a Tmall Genie smart speaker at home would also be able to monitor and control their smart-home devices remotely while driving, such as turning on the heater and air conditioner or running a status check on temperature and lighting.

“By providing AI technologies, including speech recognition and natural language processing, Tmall Genie Auto enables car users to access an extensive in-car infotainment portfolio by tapping into Alibaba’s rich content and service ecosystem,” said Miffy Chen, general manager at Alibaba AI lab, in a statement. “Together, we can greatly enhance our in-car services and make the driving experience more intelligent and interconnected.”