MG Motor India picks AI startup Voxomos for its developer programme

MG Motor India has selected Noida headquartered artificial intelligence (AI) startup Voxomos for its developer programme. 

Voxomos is the third startup selected under the MG developer programme and grants, according to a statement. The other two are electric vehicle startup Driftly and medical device maker Innvolution.

The programme, launched in September 2019, received a total of 300 entries in its first round, of which 60 were shortlisted for mentorship.

The consortium behind the programme will provide mentoring, relevant to the practical development of the solution, business plan and modelling, provide testing/ lab facility, and access to a grant ranging from Rs 5 lakhs to Rs 25 lakhs, among others.

Adobe, Cognizant, SAP, Airtel, TomTom, and Unlimit have joined as partners for the programme, with TiE Delhi-NCR as the ecosystem partner, the statement added.

The programme is broadly split into two categories, with the first one focussing on EV components, charging infrastructure navigation technologies among others. The second category comprises of connected mobility, voice recognition solutions and artificial intelligence and machine learning solutions. 

Watch: Gaurav Gupta on MG Motor India’s EV push

Founded in 2014 by IIT Kanpur graduate Sandeep Kumar, Voxomos’ conversational AI platform offers a range of voice and language solutions. Its suite comprises neural text-to-speech (Indian languages and accents), speech-to-text (dynamic multilingual phrase recognition), voice biometrics, along with natural language understanding and conversational AI. 

“Voice will be the next revolution in the automotive sector as it will change the whole paradigm of the user interface in vehicles. We are delighted to select and support Voxomos, which will enhance our focus on voice interaction - simplifying and streamlining our day-to-day internal processes at MG,” Gaurav Gupta, chief commercial officer, MG Motor India, said.

Driftly, another startup selected for the programme, helps EV owners to find nearby charging points through a multiplatform app. It connects EV users to charging points set up by private individuals, according to a separate statement by the company.

Innvolution, a medical equipment manufacturer, recently won the MG affordable ventilator challenge. The contest was a part of the automaker’s innovation programme. 

The Indian subsidiary of the Chinese automaker SAIC Motors, MG Motor India, has been pushing into the connected cars market. In February, the company showcased its sports utility vehicle Marvel X,  which it calls the world’s first mass-production model to achieve level-3 intelligent driving.