The two companies will integrate Baidu’s DuerOS-based personal digital assistant and voice recognition engine technologies with HARMAN’s connected car and cloud platforms. DuerOS is an open operating system that already supports access to a voice-activated digital assistant for mobile phones, TVs, speakers, and other devices, while supporting the ability of third-party developer access.

Together, the companies will now collaborate to create smart automotive features including automatic speech recognition (ASR) in English and Mandarin, natural language processing and speech synthesis.

The agreement builds on HARMAN’s existing relationship with Baidu. In January 2015, HARMAN and Baidu entered into a strategic collaboration to launch CarLife, a vehicle networking solution that offers advanced Internet capabilities, entertainment features and location-based services on HARMAN’s in-vehicle infotainment head units designed for the Chinese market.

Beyond the automotive market, HARMAN and Baidu DuerOS have also announced plans to deliver high-quality audio solutions for innovative speech-enabled smart speakers, also integrated with Baidu’s advanced AI technology.