Cerence Introduces Cerence Cognitive Arbitrator, a New AI-Powered Product for Choice and Flexibility to Interact with Multiple Voice Assistants in the Car

BURLINGTON, Mass., Feb. 18, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cerence Inc. (NASDAQ: CRNC), AI for a world in motion, today introduced Cerence Cognitive Arbitrator, an AI-powered product in the Cerence Drive portfolio that makes it fast and easy to build in-car voice systems that deliver co-existence between the wide variety of virtual assistants, third-party services, and content available in today’s global digital ecosystem. Through a single voice-enabled or multi-modal interface, Cerence Cognitive Arbitrator removes the complexity of which assistant should execute a given task, giving users flexibility in their usage of assistants and enabling automakers to maintain their brand experience and data ownership.

Cerence Cognitive Arbitrator is a flexible, intelligent and singular hub that lets users make inquiries and complete tasks across their digital universe. This includes general purpose assistants like Amazon Alexa, Apple’s Siri, Google Assistant, and Microsoft Cortana; global voice assistants from consumer technology companies like Alibaba, Tencent and Yandex; and content services like OpenTable, Spotify, and Office 365 & Microsoft Teams.

The Cognitive Arbitrator serves as a voice router, listening, understanding and routing users’ requests to the assistant or content service best suited to accomplish the task. For example, drivers can request information about car functions like windshield wipers, ask for driving directions, stream music, or complete such tasks as shopping, food ordering, personal banking, and more, without needing to specify which assistant should receive and complete the request. And, for automakers, Cerence Cognitive Arbitrator provides a solution to a growing challenge – the desire to offer broad-based assistant access that enables users to extend their digital lives in the car and leverage multiple, co-existing assistants, while also maintaining control over data and creating a seamless, simple in-car experience.

“Voice assistants are becoming more prevalent at home, at work, and on the go, and the average consumer’s digital ecosystem is expanding, creating a need for interoperability no matter where they are. It’s imperative that we democratize access to assistants across global markets and harness these platforms for their strengths, while also providing a seamless experience,” said Stefan Ortmanns, EVP & General Manager, Core Automotive at Cerence. “With Cerence Cognitive Arbitrator, we’re leading the charge in flexibility and interoperability for our automaker customers, supporting them as they look to design and deploy with a global mindset while also enabling them to meet the demands of their customers.”

Key benefits include:

• Complete interoperability between Cerence-powered, in-vehicle assistants; mainstream, general purpose assistants like Apple’s Siri, Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Microsoft Cortana; voice assistants from global consumer technology companies like Alibaba, Tencent and Yandex; and content services like OpenTable and Spotify – all within a single, voice-powered interface that minimizes dead ends through clear hand-offs between assistants and services
• Both explicit and implicit handling and routing of user requests; for example, a user can say, “Hey Alexa, open my garage door,” or “Open my garage door” and receive the same result, without having to reference a specific assistant or service by name
• Ability to automatically learn preferences over time, so the arbitrator knows which assistant or content service the user prefers for specific tasks
• Contextual understanding of all the tasks completed from within any assistant, allowing users to modify previous tasks, such as “Cancel my last order”
• Integration with multiple services and agents simultaneously to complete a series of complex tasks, such as “Order my usual Chinese takeout after my last meeting today”
• Enablement for automotive OEMs to control the business logic behind the arbitration to maintain control over the user experience

“We are living in a multi-assistant world. A recent Voicebot.ai consumer survey found that 32% of Siri users also have an Amazon Alexa smart speaker, and 10% have a device with Google Assistant. In addition, 25% of Google Assistant users on smartphones have an Alexa-powered smart speaker, while 82% of Apple CarPlay users have also employed the embedded voice assistant that came with their automobiles. Different voice assistants are serving as specialists for different tasks in our lives,” said Bret Kinsella, founder and CEO of Voicebot.ai. “We are not going to have a single voice assistant for all things. As a result, voice assistant arbitration is a necessary development that can offer a better user experience by hiding the technology’s back-end complexity. This will be particularly helpful in the car where it can reduce the cognitive load on the driver while providing a more personalized experience.”

Cerence recently joined fellow industry leaders in support of LG’s Electronics’ new framework for the future of AI development, representing a shared vision to transform the daily experience by connecting all aspects of people’s lives through intelligent, AI-powered touchpoints. Cerence supports this mission through the launch of its Cognitive Arbitrator, which prioritizes a fully connected and streamlined end-user experience that spans the vast world of intelligent assistants.

To learn more about Cerence, visit http://www.cerence.com/, and follow the company on LinkedIn and Twitter.

About Cerence Inc.
Cerence (NASDAQ: CRNC) is the global industry leader in creating unique, moving experiences for the automotive world. As an innovation partner to the world’s leading automakers, it is helping transform how a car feels, responds and learns. Its track record is built on more than 20 years of knowledge and almost 325 million cars on the road today. Whether it’s connected cars, autonomous driving or e-vehicles, Cerence is mapping the road ahead. For more information, visit www.cerence.com.

Trademark reference: Cerence and the Cerence logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of Cerence Inc. or its affiliates in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners.

Contact Information
Kate Hickman
Cerence Inc.
Tel: 857-239-0131
Email: kate.hickman@cerence.com

Source: Cerence Inc.