China Focus: AI ignites NEV innovation amid strengthened privacy shields
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Editor's note: China is riding the wave of an AI-powered transformation. As AI reshapes industries and daily life, it is increasing efficiency and unlocking new possibilities. In this article, Xinhua presents the third in a series of six stories on the new frontiers of AI application, exploring how this technology is redefining sectors and enriching everyday experiences. This piece introduces how AI is accelerating innovation in the fields of smart cockpits and autonomous driving, and how privacy is protected in a sector marked by exponential data growth.
BEIJING, March 20 (Xinhua) -- As you open your car door, the driver's seat glides effortlessly into the perfect position, your favorite playlist kicks in, and a gentle voice reminds you of the upcoming appointment.
This seamless, personalized driving experience is no longer a far-off fantasy -- it is a reality inside Chery Automobile's latest intelligent cockpit.
By integrating the open-source DeepSeek model into its advanced AI system for intelligent connected vehicles (ICVs), Chery's R&D team has transformed driving into a smarter and more intuitive journey, following months of rigorous testing and fine-tuning.
AI-PLUS VEHICLES
"DeepSeek has enabled us to enhance the cockpit's reasoning capabilities. It better interprets users' colloquial language and subtle intentions to deliver personalized services," said Ding Xueyi, head of Chery's Lion Tech AI Center.
ICVs collect diverse personal data from vehicle owners, including driving routes, driving behavior patterns, fingerprints and voiceprints. By analyzing both this personal information and the external environment, ICVs provide diversified and personalized AI-driven solutions.
The system now boasts more interactive functions and a 40 percent boost in intent-recognition accuracy, Ding added.
Chery is not alone. Over 20 Chinese automakers, including BYD, Geely and VOYAH, have announced that they have embedded DeepSeek into their vehicles since the Chinese startup made its groundbreaking debut earlier this year.
Besides DeepSeek, Chinese AI and intelligent speech company iFLYTEK has fused its self-developed large language model SparkDesk with a visual analytic system to monitor and remind drivers of their drowsiness and health conditions, by recording indicators such as heartbeat, respiration and blood pressure.
Additionally, Guangzhou-based Xpeng unveiled last week a refreshed version of its G9 electric SUV with a proprietary Turing AI autonomous driving system. The model features an AI chassis that scans road conditions 1,000 times per second and makes adaptive suspension adjustments, alongside functions that map rough terrain and upload information to cloud storage.
"AI will accelerate the arrival of autonomous driving, and even driverless vehicles," according to He Xiaopeng, chairman of Chinese auto brand Xpeng. The company is upgrading its vehicles' unmanned parking and low-speed pickup capacities, and He anticipates more regulation-approved trials of these technologies.
As a global leader in new energy vehicles (NEVs) production and sales, China has pledged that it will support the extensive application of large-scale AI models and vigorously develop intelligent connected NEVs, as outlined in this year's government work report.
PRIVACY IN FOCUS
Intelligent vehicles are interconnected with a digital ecosystem linking phones, computers, cameras, various sensors and road infrastructure, among other facilities.
As trendy smart terminals, ICVs have earned widespread acceptance. Data from CCID Consulting shows that intelligent connected passenger vehicles accounted for over half of global new car sales in 2023, and its penetration rate in China's new car market is expected to reach 78.9 percent by 2025.
However, along with the influx of information ICVs generate, cybersecurity and privacy concerns have emerged.
"I once viewed my car as a private space, but its growing intelligence makes me cautious of data breaches," said an ICV driver with the surname Zhang.
Another driver surnamed Xiao said he fears that if his facial data and driving tracks are hacked or mishandled, criminals might use the information to generate AI videos and commit fraud.
Experts advocate for the collection of personal information to be limited to the minimum scope required for processing purposes, in compliance with laws and regulations such as the Civil Code and the Data Security Law.
"Location data is essential for navigation, but accessing a user's contacts or call history for targeted advertisement can constitute the excessive collection of information," said Zhu Wei, a legal scholar at the China University of Political Science and Law, adding that data collection must be authorized by users.
Chen Zhong, a professor at the School of Computer Science at Peking University, noted that laws related to automotive data security should be improved. To equip itself with more security tools, the industry should strengthen R&D in such fields as data encryption, anonymization and data sharing.
"Automotive data security is the cornerstone of ICV advancement," he said. Enditem
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