[Exclusive] Boat Said to be Developing Conversational AI Features for Its Audio Products

Homegrown wearables brand Boat is said to be developing an AI-led experience for its products in its audio portfolio. Gadgets 360 has learnt from sources that the company may offer features beyond conventional voice assistants. Among the rumoured additions are real-time, conversational interactions, which would allow users to have more natural back-and-forth conversations with the voice assistant. While exact features remain under wraps, sources suggest that the capability may be enhanced by an improved understanding of regional accents and dialects.

Boat's Conversational AI Experience

According to sources, Boat is exploring technologies designed to let users have sustained, natural conversations. Instead of limiting them to one-off voice commands or fixed interactions with a conventional voice assistant, users may be able to interact with the AI more conversationally through its compatible audio devices.

Most headphones and true wireless stereo (TWS) earphones available in the Indian market currently offer support for an AI assistant. However, their use case is primarily limited to carrying out specific commands like placing calls, controlling media playback, and responding to brief queries.

Sources suggest that Boat could place a special emphasis on enabling better understanding of regional accents and dialects. In theory, this could help users carry out voice-based interactions with AI assistants across multiple languages, dialects, and accents.

It remains unclear whether the suggested AI features are being developed for existing devices in Boat's audio lineup or for a new product lineup altogether. Sources appear to currently be divided on this matter, and the brand itself has yet to officially announce any such feature or product so far.

Market observers who have been tracking the development believe that an official announcement may not be far away, considering the stage at which the work is said to be. The release timeline for the purported AI experience, however, remains under wraps.

If launched, Boat would be among the growing number of players in the Indian market offering audio products with AI-led experiences. In 2024, UK-based consumer technology startup Nothing launched the Nothing Ear, claiming to be the world's first TWS to support OpenAI's ChatGPT. In subsequent years, many brands have come up with AI solutions for their headphones and TWS earphones.