The China unit of Ford Motor Co. is in talks with tech giant Baidu on using digital services and artificial-intelligence in its car production, the Wall Street Journal reports, as Ford’s performance in the world’s largest auto market continues to lag.
According to a statement released by Ford, the two companies signed a letter of intent to work together to develop Ford’s China business, which has suffered from a poor brand image due to its lack of in-car technology and connectivity compared to local and other foreign brands.
Ford already has a relationship with Baidu, joining the search-company’s open-source platform for self-driving software last year. The current deal will look into using Baidu’s AI products to allow in-car voice and image recognition, as well as collaboration on cloud computing technology.