SoundHound AI and Lucid Motors Bring In-Vehicle Voice Assistant with Integrated Generative AI to Electric Vehicles

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 2, 2025--

SoundHound AI, Inc. (NASDAQ: SOUN), a global leader in voice artificial intelligence, today announced that Lucid, maker of the world's most advanced electric vehicles, has launched the Lucid Assistant.

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The Lucid Assistant is a revolutionary new hands-free voice assistant, offering customers an easy and intuitive way to control many vehicle functions by speech. To demonstrate the Lucid Assistant’s seamless functionality, SoundHound will host a hands-on experience with a Lucid Air at its CES booth (LVCC, West Hall Level 1, Booth #4964, Vehicle Tech & Advanced Mobility).

The Lucid Assistant is powered by SoundHound Chat AI, the cutting-edge voice platform that was the first into full production with a voice assistant that integrates the latest generative AI technology. This integration will give drivers access to a voice assistant that further enhances Lucid's in-vehicle user experience with interactive knowledge discovery, real-time data, and effortless in-vehicle controls.

“Developing Lucid Assistant in cooperation with SoundHound enables us to deliver much more than a voice control feature,” said Dr. Jean-Philippe Gauthier, Head of Software Engineering at Lucid. “In combination with Lucid’s frequent over-the-air software updates, Lucid Assistant can grow in functionality and capability over time, delivering an ever-better experience for Lucid owners.”

Now live and available to Lucid Air owners, the Lucid Assistant responds to the wake words “Hey Lucid.” Drivers and passengers can ask questions in a natural and conversational way and receive fast, accurate responses through SoundHound’s proprietary technology. This technology ensures that the assistant selects the correct response from the most appropriate domain – whether that’s an answer powered by generative AI, or the kind of response that other large language models may not handle, like real-time questions about weather, sports, stocks, and more.

In addition, the in-vehicle voice assistant lets users access Lucid’s full car manual and can provide answers to almost any question about the vehicle’s functionality. Drivers can also use voice to control critical features like navigation, and many of the Lucid Assistant features and functions can also be accessed without needing a cellular connection.

“Lucid is one of the most exciting automakers in the world, so it stands to reason they are launching this pioneering new voice AI assistant,” said Michael Zagorsek, COO of SoundHound AI.“We believe that SoundHound’s best-in-class voice technology opens up unlimited new opportunities for both drivers and OEMs, and will fundamentally change the way we interact with our vehicles into the future.”

When processing queries, the SoundHound system uses a proprietary approach to massively reduce the risk of “AI hallucinations” – misleading and unpredictable responses often associated with some LLMs. The assistant is available in English, Spanish, French, Arabic, German, and Dutch, with additional languages coming soon.

About SoundHound AI

SoundHound (Nasdaq: SOUN), a global leader in conversational intelligence, offers voice and conversational AI solutions that let businesses offer incredible experiences to their customers. Built on proprietary technology, SoundHound’s voice AI delivers best-in-class speed and accuracy in numerous languages to product creators and service providers across retail, financial services, healthcare, automotive, smart devices, and restaurants via groundbreaking AI-driven products like Smart Answering, Smart Ordering, Dynamic Drive Thru, and Amelia AI Agents. Along with SoundHound Chat AI, a powerful voice assistant with integrated Generative AI, SoundHound powers millions of products and services, and processes billions of interactions each year for world class businesses. www.soundhound.com.

SoundHound AI announced that Lucid, maker of the world's most advanced electric vehicles, has launched the Lucid Assistant powered by SoundHound Chat AI. (Graphic: Business Wire)

TOKYO (AP) — Global free trade is in crisis, the head of the World Trade Organization chief said Tuesday while meeting Japanese Prime Minister Shigaru Ishiba on Tuesday.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, director-general of the World Trade Organization, told Ishiba that she has high expectations for Japan as a champion of open markets as U.S. President Donald Trump disrupts world commerce with his fast-changing tariffs and other policies.

“Trade is facing very challenging times right now and it is quite difficult,” she said. “We should try to use this crisis as an opportunity to solve the challenges we have and take advantage of new trends in trade.”

Japan, as “a champion of the multilateral trading system” must help maintain, strengthen and reform the WTO, the Japanese Foreign Ministry cited her as saying.

They met a day after the United States and China said they had agreed to slash recent sky- high tariffs for 90 days to allow time for negotiations.

Japan is among many countries yet to reach a deal with the Trump administration on hikes to U.S. tariffs, including those on autos, steel and aluminum.

The WTO played a pivotal role in past decades as the U.S. and other major economies championed the trade liberalization that facilitated the growth of global supply chains, many of which are anchored in China.

By dismantling many protectionist barriers to trade, it has aided the ascent of Japan and China, and many other countries, as export manufacturing hubs.

Since taking office for a second time, Trump has prioritized higher tariffs to try to reduce U.S. imports and compel companies to locate factories in the United States, doubling down on a trade war that he launched during his first term.

The two leaders agreed that WTO member countries should unite to restore the organization's capacity to address challenges.

Okonjo-Iwaela was visiting Japan to strengthen cooperation between Japan and the WTO to maintain and reinforce the multilateral trading system, Japanese officials said.

She also was scheduled to meet with Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato and Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Yoji Muto.

Vice minister of Finance Liao Min, left, gestures toward a journalist at a news conference at the Chinese mission to the World Trade Organization in Geneva, Switzerland, Sunday, May 11, 2025, alongside Vice Premier He Lifeng and Li Chenggang, vice minister of commerce. (AP Photo/Jamey Keaten)

World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, left, meets with Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the latter's office in Tokyo Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (Kazuhiro Nogi/Pool Photo via AP)

World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, left, shakes hands with Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the latter's office in Tokyo Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (Kazuhiro Nogi/Pool Photo via AP)