At the Intelligent Electric Vehicle Development High-Level Forum (2026) held from April 11th to 12th at the China National Convention Center Phase II in Beijing, the focus was on advancing the intelligent, green, integrated, and international development of new energy vehicles.
Liu Zenggang, Deputy General Manager of Baidu's Maps Business Unit, discussed how many automakers have recently launched integrated solutions combining intelligent driving and smart cockpits. He stated that future AI-powered vehicles will evolve into versatile travel companions, essentially becoming super AI agents.
He highlighted three core roles for this super AI agent: First, an experienced "veteran driver" capable of handling various complex road conditions. Second, a thoughtful AI assistant that integrates vehicle control with services to manage complex tasks. Third, an empathetic AI companion that anticipates user needs and provides emotional value through interaction.
Following the mass production of end-to-end AI voice technology, usage statistics show a 13-fold increase in voice-based conversational interactions. Additionally, the AI companion feature launched on mobile platforms during the Spring Festival period saw daily active users grow by 54 times. The application scenarios for AI voice interaction have also significantly expanded beyond navigation and vehicle control, with casual conversation emerging as the most frequent use case.
"This indicates that users currently have a strong need for emotional value and demonstrate intense desire for AI interaction. We anticipate that AI-accompanied travel will become a growing habit for more users," he said.
Regarding autonomous driving, he noted three clear development trends: First, accelerated adoption with L2+ penetration rates exceeding 30% last year, and some vehicle models beginning mass production of urban Navigate on Autopilot (NOA) features. Second, experience upgrades where users no longer settle for partial scenario usage but expect comprehensive "parking space to parking space" intelligent experiences. Third, intensified competition in integrated cockpit and intelligent driving systems.
"We believe competition in autonomous driving experience depends not only on algorithms but increasingly on the integration of navigation interaction with autonomous driving capabilities," he concluded.
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