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General Motors will add a conversational AI assistant powered by Google Gemini to its cars, trucks, and SUVs starting next year, the U.S. automaker said Wednesday during an event in New York City. The Google Gemini rollout is one of several tech-centric announcements made at the automaker’s GM Forward event, and it will be one of the first to get into consumers’ hands. Others, including an overhaul of its electrical architecture and computing platform and an automated driving feature that allows drivers to keep their hands off the wheel and eyes off the road, aren’t coming to GM brands until 2028. GM is the latest automaker to lean into generative AI-based assistants that promise to respond to driver requests in a more natural-sounding way. Stellantis is collaborating with French AI firm Mistral, Mercedes is integrating ChatGPT, and Tesla has brought xAI’s Grok to its vehicles. GM’s integration with Gemini is the next logical step for the automaker. Vehicles produced by GM brands Buick, Chevrolet, Cadillac, and GMC already have “Google built-in,” an operating system that gives drivers access to Google Assistant, Google Maps, and other apps directly from the car’s infotainment screen. In 2023, Google began using Google Cloud’s Dialogflow chatbot to handle non-emergency OnStar features, including common driver queries like routing and navigation assistance. It’s not entirely clear how much more capable GM’s Gemini-powered AI assistant will be. GM provided few details, only saying that it will have more “natural conversations” and allow drivers to draft and send messages, plan routes with additional stops (like a charging station or a favorite coffee shop), “or even prep for a meeting on the go.” TechCrunch has reached out for clarification. GM’s new voice assistant is a step towards the automaker’s goal of developing its own custom-built AI that connects to your vehicle’s systems through OnStar, GM’s in-car concierge. The way GM executives described the technology at the NYC event, it seems like a mix of a health wearable and an AI pendant, but for your car. The assistant promises to access vehicle data to provide maintenance alerts and route suggestions, explain car features like one-pedal driving, and turn your heat or air conditioning on before you enter the vehicle. GM says you’ll control what information it can access and use, and it can learn from your habits to offer personalized recommendations.
