Volkswagen’s software unit Cariad and smartphone maker Vivo announced on Friday that they are setting up a joint lab in China, allowing the two companies to integrate mobile technology and artificial intelligence into cars to provide customers with a “seamless” in-vehicle experience. The arrangement expands on the existing partnership through which various information and entertainment applications, such as gaming, have been available to Volkswagen car owners by leveraging the computing power and ecosystem of Vivo smartphones. Additionally, Vivo Vice President Zhou Wei mentioned that the companies will explore providing more technology services based on its Lanxin generative AI models, unveiled at Vivo’s annual developer conference on Wednesday and capable of understanding human language and generating content. Chinese carmakers and tech companies are collaborating closely as cars become increasingly defined by their software. Geely, on Oct. 27, launched the Jiyue 01, its first vehicle model powered by Baidu’s ChatGPT-like chatbot, while Huawei and Seres began delivering the Aito M5, the first model equipped with the tech giant’s HarmonyOS operating system last March. [TechNode reporting]
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