Voice recognition technology will start to be featured in new Hyundai models as soon as 2019 according to the Korean firm. This technology is the result of a collaboration between Hyundai and SoundHound Inc., a Silicon Valley-based tech company which is a leading innovator in voice-enabled AI and conversational intelligence technologies.

Hyundai names it “Intelligent Personal Agent” empowers drivers with many different in-car operations and real-time data using voice commands.

The public will get first taste of this system at CES 2018 in Las Vegas next month, and Hyundai says that Intelligent Personal Agent can be activated by a simple wake-up command of, “Hi, Hyundai.” From there on, the driver can command, for example, phone calls, send text messages, search destinations, search music, check weather and manage schedules.

Sure, this feature is already available from other car companies, but Hyundai’s also support a ‘Car-to-Home’ service where the system can control electronic devices at home with simple voice commands. Intelligent Personal Agent also sets itself apart with the ability to understand and react to multiple commands and react accordingly; for example the user can say, “Tell me about the weather tomorrow and turn off the lights in the living room now,” and the system will understand.

To start with the assistant system only understands English but Hyundai will expand it to other languages in the future.

Hyundai plans to demonstrate a simplified version of the Intelligent Personal Agent early next year on next-generation Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs) which is expected to be on Korean roads for tests drives. This test version will also be able to provide information on local sports events, including game schedules and results.