Traditional addressing is a real problem in China, just as it is in most parts of the world. Multiple streets in the same area can have the same name, meaning that the driver or the car risks selecting the wrong destination. Many addresses are also very similar; just one letter entered incorrectly can send a driver far from their intended location. And for iconic Chinese shopping malls and stadiums, there is often only one address, meaning finding the specific entrance, car park or meeting point can be very frustrating.

Without simple and precise addresses, navigating from A to B - a critical part of how we use our cars everyday – becomes frustrating. Especially when it comes to making sure that our cars understand where we want to go: most traditional addresses are too complicated to either type or speak and are poorly recognised by speech recognition on-board your car. The inaccuracy of voice addressing systems has also shut down the door for a lot of LBS services.

Introducing what3words. With market-leading voice accuracy, what3words is an innovative global addressing system that’s divided the world into a grid of 3m x 3m squares and assigned each square a unique 3 word address made of three dictionary words. ///caramel.kingdom.signature, for example, will take you to the Bruce Lee statue on the Avenue of the Stars in Hong Kong.

For automotive integrations, drivers can enter a 3 word address by voice or text input, and then navigate to that precise place. To prevent errors, every 3 word address is unique, and similar addresses are located far apart to avoid confusion. The intelligent AutoSuggest feature helps drivers to spot and correct their mistakes immediately. If someone needs to drive to a hotel in Xuzhou City, they will usually have to input a long address such as Mountain top of Dangkou Park, Zenhgxin Road, Xuzhou City. Now they can simply say ‘navigate to 放缓 有名 当家’ - and know they’ll arrive at the correct front door.

Partners of what3words include Mercedes-Benz, Ford Europe and top tier 1 suppliers Nuance and SoundHound.

Mor.AI partnered with what3words to enable advanced speech recognition and commands on board any car. It is now as easy as saying “Navigate to what3words 主编 节约  小腿, and find a gas station halfway.”, or if you’re into good food, just ask your car to “Find a good hotpot restaurant with price range around  200 yuan per person near what3words 名菜 汤圆  寒假 ”.

Coupled to what3words’s precise addressing solution, Location-based services, i.e. restaurants, cinemas, and gas stations etc., can be found in a more accurate way. With this partnership, Mor.AI is paving the way for a new addressing solution in China.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with Mor.AI to launch what3words in China. A more accurate way to talk about location means a smoother in-car experience for drivers. Associated to an advanced speech recognition solution, it is now easier than ever to get anywhere in China” – said Clare Jones, CCO of what3words. 

Mor.AI is an artificial intelligence company that specialized in Natural Language Understanding and cognition computation technologies. Thanks to its strong technology and mature solutions, it has made outstanding performance in home appliance industry and automotive industry. Mor.AI has 60% voice AI TV market share, and is in deep partnership with a number of global and local car manufacturers. In China, Mor.AI is highly rated in its full stack in-house technology, including but not limited to voice interaction and abundant on board voice LBS (Location-based Services).

“Integrating with what3words accurate addressing system, we believe Mor.AI will bring more pioneering voice-activated LBS user experience!” –said Claire Gong, co-founder of Mor.AI. 

This was of course a great chance for both companies to expand their market abroad. Europe has world class OEMs, and China is becoming the largest automobile market. The partnership proved how well 3 word address function worked in China, and how well Mor.AI could integrate diverse services in its Car OS.

Now that navigation is more convenient and precise than ever, which ensures a promising future, the two companies will continue their partnership in on board voice LBS.