Sunday, December 21, 2025
Cerence Inc., a global innovator in conversational AI-powered user experiences, has announced a robust lineup of technologies it will unveil at CES 2026, scheduled for January 6–9, 2026, in Las Vegas. At its booth in the West Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center, Cerence AI will showcase major advancements across its hybrid, agentic AI platform, Cerence xUI™, reinforcing its leadership in shaping the future of AI-defined vehicles.
As the automotive industry rapidly evolves, automakers are facing mounting pressure to meet growing consumer demand for large language model (LLM)-powered experiences. At the same time, they must continue delivering software updates long after vehicles leave the showroom, all while controlling costs and navigating an increasingly complex technology ecosystem. OEMs need flexible, scalable platforms that allow innovation without forcing reliance on rigid architectures or single vendors.
Cerence xUI addresses these challenges head-on. Built as a hybrid, modular, and technology-agnostic platform, Cerence xUI enables agentic, LLM-powered intelligence directly inside the vehicle. Importantly, it gives automakers the freedom to integrate best-in-class first- and third-party AI models, data sources, and agents. This flexibility allows OEMs to future-proof their vehicles while supporting rapid deployment of new features and LLM capabilities to cars already on the road, enabling continuous innovation throughout the vehicle lifecycle.
For drivers, Cerence xUI delivers a more natural and engaging in-car experience. Through multi-step conversational threads, multimodal interaction, and enhanced personalization, the platform transforms traditional voice assistants into proactive, context-aware companions. Rather than responding only to commands, the system anticipates needs, understands intent, and adapts to individual preferences, elevating everyday driving interactions.
A key focus at CES 2026 will be Cerence’s progress in multimodal edge AI. Building on its collaboration with SiMa.ai—first introduced at IAA 2025—Cerence will demonstrate the next evolution of CaLLM™ Edge, its compact language model designed for edge deployment. Running on SiMa.ai’s energy-efficient Modalix MLSoC hardware, CaLLM Edge will power Cerence xUI with enhanced multimodal capabilities, improved responsiveness, and reduced latency, all while maintaining low power consumption. Together, Cerence and SiMa.ai will show how edge AI enables fast, reliable vehicle-driver interaction without dependence on cloud connectivity.
Beyond platform innovation, Cerence AI will also spotlight agentic AI experiences spanning the full automotive lifecycle. At CES, the company will debut two new agents designed to enhance both ownership and dealership experiences. For vehicle owners, Cerence will introduce an ownership companion agent that proactively assists with maintenance planning, vehicle health insights, and feature discovery. By helping drivers better understand and use advanced vehicle technologies, the agent supports higher engagement and long-term satisfaction.
Extending its capabilities beyond the vehicle, Cerence will also unveil a dealer assist agent tailored for automotive retailers. This agent will streamline dealership sales and service workflows through intelligent automation, improving operational efficiency and customer interactions across the broader automotive ecosystem.
CES 2026 will also mark the first in-car demonstration of Cerence’s mobile work agent, developed in collaboration with Microsoft and initially announced at IAA 2025. The agent enables safe, voice-first access to Microsoft 365 Copilot tools such as Teams, Outlook, and OneNote. Deeply integrated within Cerence xUI, the mobile work agent orchestrates seamlessly with other automotive-grade AI agents. For example, it can proactively suggest navigation routes based on upcoming meetings in a user’s work calendar, eliminating the need for manual input.
In addition to agentic AI, Cerence will highlight its Audio AI portfolio, showcasing advanced multi-speaker and multi-zone audio capabilities. These solutions include speech signal enhancement, noise reduction, intelligent signal processing, and emergency vehicle detection. Together, they ensure reliable, high-quality voice performance across diverse in-cabin environments, supporting next-generation voice assistants and communication systems.
Through its CES 2026 showcase, Cerence AI is positioning itself at the forefront of intelligent, AI-driven mobility, demonstrating how hybrid, agentic, and edge AI technologies can redefine the in-vehicle experience.
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