Toyota partners Google Cloud for AI-powered speech recognition

Toyota says it is partnering Google Cloud to boost 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.

Already, a statement on Tuesday said the new partnership’s results are being seen in some models’ infotainment systems — including those of the 2023 Toyota Corolla, Sequoia and the 2023 Lexus NX, RX and RZ.

The improvement will go towards Toyota Voice Assistant, the system had been leveraging Google Cloud technology since 2018, according to the press release.

In the future, the partnership would help develop Speech On-Device, a new product from Toyota and Google Cloud, it added.

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,” says Umesh Vemuri, vice president of Global Strategic Customers and Industries for Google Cloud.