Cerence AI for Manufacturing & Industrial Automation

Powering the Human Interface for Industrial AI

We build a conversational and multimodal interaction layer between workers, machines, and industrial AI, enabling hands-free workflows, operational intelligence, and real-time action across the factory floor, warehouse, field, and beyond.

Request Demo

Tackling the Key Forces Reshaping Manufacturing and Industrial Automation

Workforce Transformation

As experienced workers retire, frontline teams need faster access to their guidance and expertise across languages, locations, and noisy environments.

AI Acceleration

AI is moving from isolated pilots into daily industrial operations, increasing the need for intuitive and controlled human interaction.

Supply-Chain Resilience

Resilient operations depend on accurate information being captured and acted on directly where work happens.

Physical AI

People need a natural, multimodal way to interact with the robots, cobots, and agents they supervise and operate.

Cerence AI, the Voice and Interaction Layer for the Frontline

Resilient & Noise-Robust

Clear voice capture with speech recognition and signal enhancement that isolates the speaker from machinery, engines, wind, and crosstalk – on or off the network.

Multilingual & Hands-Free

Natural conversational interaction across multiple global languages, dialects, accents, allowing workers to focus on critical tasks.

Voice-First Intent Capture

Hands-busy workers simply speak. Operational intent and expert know-how get documented automatically, with voice-first interactions today and multimodal experiences coming next.

Edge-first Hybrid
Agentic Intelligence

On-device language models understand the request, and a deterministic engine reads it back and carries it out. Cloud LLMs add deeper reasoning when a link is available.

On-Device
Voice Biometrics 

Verifies enrolled worker identity on demand, directly on the device, with built-in anti-spoofing protection. Voice templates never leave the device and can be paired with a badge or PIN.

Zero Trust
& Defense-in-Depth

Secure by design, default, and operation. Built on a hybrid architecture that extends Operational Technology (OT) security to the edge and integrates deeply with Microsoft security solutions, the platform is designed to align with IEC 62443 (and Part 11/Annex 11 for pharma), TISAX, the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA), Data Act, and EU AI Act.

Built for Frontline Workers and the Processes They Run

Frontline Workers

Human-facing

Discrete Manufacturing and Assembly Operators

Process Industries (Chemical, Oil & Gas, Pharma)

Warehousing and Logistics (Multilingual Voice Picking)

Field Service and Maintenance/MRO Technicians

Quality and EHS/Safety Staff

Frontline Processes

Machine-facing, human-in-the-loop

Fixed Equipment and Control Panels (CNC, PLC/SCADA HMI)

Voice → MES/ERP/PLM

Voice-Driven Digital Twin and Simulation

Voice-Guided Safety (LOTO Steps, PPE Checks, Hazard Reporting)

Maintenance Logging and Troubleshooting Copilot

Delivering Impact Across the Frontline

Workforce Enablement

People-first

Onboarding and Training

Knowledge Retention

Real-time Multilingual Support

Hands-free Guidance

Operational Excellence

Efficiency-first

Uptime and Maintenance Copilot

Quality and Defect Capture

Voice-Directed Picking Throughput

OEE Improvement

Risk & Compliance

Safety-first

Voice-Guided Safety (LOTO Steps, PPE Checks, Hazard Reporting) → Your certified safety system stays in control.

Auditability and Traceability

On-device Voice Biometrics

Defensible OSHA Training Comprehension Record

Factory Intelligence

Data-first

Voice → SCADA/MES/ERP/PLM

Digital Twin and Simulation

Industrial Copilot

Multimodal → Voice today with vision and additional sensors coming next.

Partnering Across the Industrial AI Stack

Trusted by Industry Leaders

Why Choose Cerence AI?

Regulatory-Ready
AI

Combines secure identity verification, auditable records, and Zero Trust principles.

Open
Integration

Connects with your existing devices, platforms, enterprise systems, and industrial software stack.

Data Ownership
& Security

Keeps data, privacy, and security under your control, aligned with Zero Trust principles and modern OT security requirements.

Flexible
Deployment

Runs at the edge, in the cloud, or hybrid, staying offline-capable for secure, remote, and connectivity-constrained sites.

Real-World
Reliability

Proven across 525M+ cars and other devices, shipped globally, delivering performance in demanding, high-noise environments.

Global
Deployment

Supports multiple languages with cultural and regulatory tuning for multinational operations.

Connect With Us

Frequently Asked Questions

What does “the human interface for industrial AI” mean?

Cerence AI is the interaction layer between people, machines, and industrial AI. It understands intent by voice today, with support for additional multimodal inputs such as vision and sensors evolving over time, confirms and acts on-device, and orchestrates the human in the loop.
How does Cerence AI perform in loud industrial environments?

We combine Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) with Speech Signal Enhancement (SSE) to capture and understand intent in environments exceeding 100 dB of machinery, engine, wind, and crosstalk noise. The technology builds on voice AI proven in real-world automotive deployments, where reliable speech interaction is required even at highway speeds with the windows down. Support for in-ear and bone-conduction microphones plus push-to-talk is included.
Can Cerence’s voice AI run without cloud connectivity?

Yes – by design. The platform responds in real time on the device, whether the worker's device is connected, intermittently connected, or fully offline, so operations continue without dead zones. Sessions continue on the device when connectivity drops and automatically recover when the connection returns.
How does Cerence AI integrate with our existing enterprise systems?

We integrate into your existing technology stack, through a site gateway using OPC UA and MQTT Sparkplug. Voice can write records and non-safety setpoints, while safety-critical functions remain under the control of your certified PLC, alongside MES, ERP, PLM, CMMS, historian, and SCADA environments. Our technology can exchange data with leading industrial platforms and systems while enabling natural voice interactions, confirmations, and read-backs without requiring you to replace existing infrastructure.
Is Cerence AI technology secure for industrial and OT environments?

Yes. Security is built into the platform from the ground up, following enterprise-grade Zero Trust and defense-in-depth principles aligned with Microsoft security products and best practices. The platform also supports on-device voice biometrics for worker identification and authentication at the edge, without requiring cloud connectivity or dedicated biometric hardware. Audio can remain on-site, voice templates stay on the device, and the system does not infer emotion, stress, or worker performance.
Does Cerence AI build robots, devices, or hardware?

No. We provide the voice and multimodal interaction layer that embeds into our customers’ and partners' machines, devices, applications, and industrial systems.
Which frontline roles and processes can Cerence AI support?

We support use cases across connected frontline workers, voice-enabled operations, maintenance and service, safety and compliance, and AI orchestration and automation. Applications range from voice picking and digital inspections to machine control, troubleshooting, compliance workflows, and AI-assisted production optimization.
How does Cerence AI work with AI agents on the factory floor?

Our technology acts as the interaction layer between workers and industrial AI agents. It captures worker intent through voice and multimodal inputs, orchestrates actions across systems and agents via A2A/MCP, and keeps people in control through confirmations, approvals, and traceability. Every agent action passes the same readback, safety gate and audit log.
What business outcomes should we expect?

We help manufacturers improve workforce enablement, operational efficiency, risk and compliance, and factory intelligence by enabling natural interaction between workers, machines, enterprise systems, and AI.