Sony bends the knee to Microsoft to get its AI into its new electric car Afeela

During the first day of CES 2024, at Sony's press conference, President and COO of Sony Honda Mobility Izumi Kawanishi invited Microsoft to the stage to talk about bringing AI to their new concept EV, the Afeela and explained how it would make the in-vehicle experience smarter for consumers.

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Microsoft and Sony are often depicted as rivals in the media due to the ever-constant "console wars" in which both companies have waged battle for years to see whose flagship videogame consoles will come out on top. However, it has now been announced the two giants have been discussing how they can bring an AI-powered assistant to life and enhance the in-vehicle capabilities of Sony Hondas' futuristic feature-filled car, the Afeela EV.

Microsoft executive Jessica Hawk Joined Kawanishi on stage to talk about the new partnership, which will, of course, involve AI, which seems to be the theme of this year's CES, as well as Microsoft Azure computing infrastructure. The sight of the two companies working together on this new feature is almost as much a spectacle as how Sony got the car on stage this year with the use of a PlayStation control, not something you see every day.

A lot of promises were made on stage as to what the Microsoft AI could accomplish, but the main focus of the feature was AI safety. According to Kawanishi, "We aim to redefine the relationship between people and mobility."

While we aren't exactly sure what the Microsoft Powered-AI assistant will look like once the Sony Honda's Afeela officially releases, we are quite interested to see how it turns out and if this is a partnership that will continue down the track.