Deployed across a range of models from a prominent global automaker, the rollout marks a significant evolution in how drivers interact with their vehicles. While traditional voice assistants handle tasks like route guidance or phone calls, SoundHound’s technology invites full-scale dialogue — answering complex questions, assisting with trip planning, and even offering storytelling and trivia for passengers along the way.
A sample exchange, the company suggests, could begin with:
“Where do the Giants play?”
“What are the best seats at Oracle Park?”
“Navigate there.”
“What’s the weather like this afternoon?”
“Find a restaurant near my destination.”
All of this, performed in seamless succession, with natural language and context-aware responses.
The technology blends voice recognition, generative AI, and external data sources to allow drivers to speak as they would to a human co-pilot — and receive answers that go far beyond scripted commands. Drivers can inquire about local events, explore dining options, locate charging stations along a route, or get explanations from the vehicle’s manual — all hands-free.
“SoundHound Chat AI isn’t just a new voice assistant,” the company said in its announcement. “It’s an entirely new interface for mobility — one that recognizes how people speak, what they need, and how to respond naturally.”
The move follows SoundHound’s recent introduction of an in-car voice commerce platform, which allows users to make purchases, redeem loyalty rewards, or place food orders through voice commands — technology that industry analysts say could unlock $35 billion annually in new revenue streams for automakers.
As competition intensifies in the AI space, SoundHound has distinguished itself with proprietary voice models designed to deliver high-speed, multilingual responses with minimal latency. The company’s portfolio spans industries from healthcare to retail, but the automotive sector — with its increasingly connected, infotainment-rich vehicles — presents a particularly fertile ground for adoption.
For a sector long focused on horsepower and hardware, the shift toward AI-powered interaction marks a cultural change as well as a technical one.
“The car is becoming an intelligent companion,” said a spokesperson for SoundHound. “This is about making the driving experience not just safer and more efficient — but more human.”