Tmall Genie, the voice assistant developed by Alibaba A. I. Labs, will be available in-car to BMW customers in China by end of 2019.
Alibaba and BMW have used the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas this week to announce another joint innovation, with the Chinese giant’s voice assistant technology to be made available in-car.
Alibaba’s AI product development unit, A. I. Labs, revealed its voice assistant Tmall Genie will be available for use in-car to BMW customers in China by the end of 2019.
The move will extend the car-maker’s BMW Connected service, which is already integrated with other Tmall Genie-compatible devices.
BMW Connected was launched in China in December 2016 and is currently used by 1.5 million customers, Alibaba said.
The new in-car offering will allow customers to use the in-built Tmall Genie as they do with other devices, with the BMW’s display screen serving up text and images.
“With the integration of Alibaba’s Tmall Genie in BMW vehicles in China we are adding a digital ecosystem, which will open up new possibilities that customers can access quickly and safely from the car,” senior vice president Digital Services and Products at BMW Group Dieter May said.
“This development sees BMW reaching a new milestone in China in terms of intelligent connectivity between the customer’s vehicle and their digital touchpoints.
