Cerence Expands Cloud Capabilities for Korean Drivers through Interoperability with KT’s AI Assistant, GiGA Genie

BURLINGTON, Mass., Feb. 17, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cerence Inc. (NASDAQ: CRNC), AI for a world in motion, today announced that it has enhanced its cloud services capabilities in Korea through new interoperability with KT’s GiGA Genie, the company’s voice-controlled virtual assistant. Leveraging Cerence Cognitive Arbitrator, Mercedes-Benz Korea has signed on as the first automaker to bring this integrated capability to drivers of select models, including Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Mercedes-Benz EQS, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Mercedes-Benz EQA, and more, in Korea via its Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX), its intuitive infotainment and virtual assistant system.

KT, Korea’s largest telecom operator and digital platform company, first introduced GiGA Genie in 2017 as an AI-powered television set-top box and integrated virtual assistant. Today, GiGA Genie provides its three million users with voice-enabled access to a wide variety of popular KT content and services, including music, video, games, shopping, general knowledge, and more. To further extend users’ access to GiGA Genie, Cerence and KT have teamed up to bring GiGA Genie’s smart capabilities directly into Cerence-powered automotive assistants via Cerence Cognitive Arbitrator. In the case of MBUX, drivers can, for example, say, “Hey Mercedes, how much did Parasite gross at the box office?” or “Hey Mercedes, what shall I have for dinner tonight?” MBUX intuitively knows where to route the request and how best to complete the driver’s desired action, providing a streamlined, effortless user experience.

“GiGA Genie has been a driving force in the growing popularity of voice-powered assistants in Korea,” said Kangrim Choi, SVP & Head of AI Mobility Business Unit, KT. “We are proud to partner with Cerence to bring GiGA Genie to an entirely new environment in a seamless, integrated offering that makes accessing the assistant’s content, services and capabilities easy for drivers while on the go.”

“Consumers globally have an ever-expanding digital life that spans a variety of assistants and services. As their ecosystems become more complex, interoperability is key, especially in the car,” said Stefan Ortmanns, CEO, Cerence. “By leveraging our Cerence Cognitive Arbitrator to make GiGA Genie accessible via the automotive assistant, KT has firmly established its commitment to a simple, intuitive user experience. We are excited to team up with KT and support our long-term partner, Mercedes-Benz, as they bring this important capability to drivers of select Mercedes-Benz models in Korea.”

Cerence Cognitive Arbitrator makes it fast and easy for automakers to build in-car voice systems that deliver co-existence between the wide variety of virtual assistants, third-party services, and content – including KT’s GiGA Genie – available in today’s global digital ecosystem. Through a single interface, Cerence Cognitive Arbitrator removes the complexity of whether the Cerence-powered assistant or GiGA Genie should execute a given task, giving drivers flexibility and enabling automakers to maintain their brand experience and data ownership. Cerence Cognitive Arbitrator serves as a voice router, listening, understanding and routing users’ requests to best accomplish the task, without needing to specify which assistant should receive and complete the request.

To learn more about Cerence, visit 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 mobility world. As an innovation partner to the world’s leading automakers and mobility OEMs, it is helping advance the future of connected mobility through intuitive, powerful interaction between humans and their cars, two-wheelers, and even elevators, connecting consumers’ digital lives to their daily journeys no matter where they are. Cerence’s track record is built on more than 20 years of knowledge and more than 400 million cars shipped with Cerence technology. Whether it’s connected cars, autonomous driving, e-vehicles, or buildings, Cerence is mapping the road ahead. For more information, visit www.cerence.com.

About KT Inc.
KT Corp. (KRX: 030200;NYSE: KT), Korea’s largest telecom operator & digital platform company, is leading the new era of innovations in one of the world's most connected countries with 5G, Big Data, Cloud, IoT, Blockchain and other transformative technologies. KT launched the world's first nationwide commercial 5G network in April 2019, after showcasing the first trial 5G services at the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games in February 2018. KT will deliver most essential and innovative services and solutions to its customers around the world as the first frontier in the next technology revolution and number one Global ICT Company.

Contact Information
Kate Hickman
Cerence Inc.
Tel: 339-215-4583
Email: kate.hickman@cerence.com

Seongyoung Yang
KT Corp.
Email: yang.sy@kt.com