LG agrees to partner with Google in AI

LG Electronics is moving to tighten its artificial intelligence (AI) drive by partnering with Google, the Seoul-based company said Thursday.

At Google’s developer conference for this year, the high-tech giant unveiled its partnership with LG by showcasing an LG SIGNATURE premium air purifier equipped with Google Assistant voice recognition assistance.

This comes as the smart home system is becoming the talk of the AI town, with electronics makers and software giants competing head to head to pre-empt the potential-laden area.

Under the partnership, other SIGNATURE appliances — including a refrigerator and washing machine — will also be powered by user voice commands.

For example, an LG washer user can track wash cycle times by voice command. Google Assistant also enables more detailed voice commands. An LG refrigerator owner can monitor ice supply and command the device to make more.

LG Electronics said it is going to extend its product lineup into non-premium devices — such as ovens and robot vacuum cleaners.

The company plans to launch the premium smart consumer electronics in the United States this month, expanding its sales channels into the company’s other key markets.

“LG will continue to tighten partnerships with other global companies, in a bid to offer our advanced smart home solutions,” Song Dae-hyun, president of LG’s home and appliance unit, said in a statement.