Toyota is partnering with Google Cloud to bolster its artificial intelligence-based speech services.
The partnership aims to improve in-vehicle infotainment systems’ voice recognition, something drivers have continuously complained about in the past few years.
Improvements will go toward Toyota Voice Assistant. The system has been leveraging Google Cloud technology since 2018, according to a Tuesday press release.
The new partnership’s results are already being seen in some models’ infotainment systems — including those of the 2023 Toyota Corolla, Tundra and Sequoia and the 2023 Lexus NX, RX and RZ, the release said.
In the future, the partnership will help develop Speech On-Device, a new product from Toyota and Google Cloud. The main draw is its ability to use speech recognition without the Internet, keeping the system local to the vehicle’s multimedia system processors.
Part of the goal is making speech recognition work effectively with low computing requirements and no Internet connectivity.
“By working closely with Toyota to understand its in-vehicle device requirements and capabilities, we were able to provide server-like quality while using only a small fraction of the processing power to ensure the best possible experience for drivers,” said Umesh Vemuri, vice president of Global Strategic Customers and Industries for Google Cloud.
Speech On-Device is available for select Google Cloud customers, the release said.
