General Motors has announced plans to introduce a conversational AI assistant powered by Google’s Gemini across its cars, trucks, and SUVs starting next year, marking a significant leap in the automaker’s broader effort to fuse artificial intelligence with its connected vehicle ecosystem.
The announcement was made on Wednesday at the GM Forward event in New York City, where the company unveiled several upcoming technologies. The Gemini integration is expected to be the first among them to reach consumers, ahead of a planned automated driving feature and a revamped vehicle computing platform slated for release in 2028.
GM’s integration of Gemini builds on an already deep relationship with Google, whose “Google built-in” operating system currently powers infotainment systems in Buick, Chevrolet, Cadillac, and GMC vehicles. Those systems already allow drivers to access Google Assistant, Maps, and other Android apps directly from their dashboard screens.
In 2023, GM expanded that collaboration by using Google Cloud’s Dialogflow chatbot to manage non-emergency OnStar services such as navigation assistance and general inquiries. The forthcoming Gemini-powered assistant will take that concept further by leveraging generative AI to hold more natural, context-aware conversations with drivers.
“One of the challenges with current voice assistants is that they’re often frustrating — they rely on code words and struggle with accents or phrasing,” said Dave Richardson, GM’s senior vice president of software and services, in an interview with TechCrunch. “What’s great about large language models is they’re flexible in how you speak to them. They understand context from previous interactions, so you get a better, more natural experience.”
The Gemini assistant will be capable of managing a wide range of tasks — from drafting and sending messages and planning routes with multiple stops to accessing information from the web, such as answering a driver’s query about a historical landmark.
It will also integrate more deeply with OnStar, GM’s in-car concierge system, allowing it to provide maintenance alerts, route suggestions, and even control features like heating or cooling before the driver enters the car.
In essence, GM envisions the system as “a mix between a health wearable and an AI companion, but for your car,” Richardson said.
The assistant will be distributed over the air via the Google Play Store, and will be available to OnStar-equipped GM vehicles dating back to model year 2015 — significantly broadening access to existing customers.
Privacy and Data Concerns After Past Controversy
The announcement comes amid growing scrutiny of how automakers handle driver data. GM faced backlash earlier this year after reports revealed that the company had shared customer driving and geolocation data with insurance firms, prompting privacy concerns.
Addressing those concerns directly, Richardson emphasized that the new AI system will prioritize user consent and data protection.
“Everything that we’re going to do is going to be driven by customer consent, so you can always opt in or opt out,” he said. “Our viewpoint is that data and privacy have to be built into everything that we do.”
He also noted that GM has hired a new data governance team, including Christina Montgomery, who previously served as IBM’s chief privacy and trust officer, to establish stronger oversight mechanisms and compliance frameworks.
Richardson added that any driver data collected through Gemini “goes directly toward improving the product and won’t be sold for revenue.”
Toward a Custom-Built AI
While GM’s collaboration with Google is central to the Gemini rollout, Richardson said the company intends to test multiple AI models, including those from OpenAI, Anthropic, and others, as it moves toward developing a custom-built, domain-specific AI system trained on vehicle data.
“The idea is to take a base language model and train it on the vehicle’s specifications — distill that down and have it running locally on the vehicle,” Richardson said.
That approach would give GM more control over performance and data privacy, while enabling the AI to understand specific vehicle functions such as one-pedal driving or energy optimization in EVs.
GM’s move places it squarely in the middle of an emerging AI arms race among automakers. Competitors have already begun incorporating generative AI into their vehicles: Mercedes-Benz has integrated ChatGPT, Stellantis is working with French AI firm Mistral, and Tesla has rolled out Grok, the conversational assistant developed by Elon Musk’s xAI.
For GM, however, the Gemini rollout could serve as a bridge between existing OnStar services and a future where AI-driven personalization becomes a key selling point for vehicles. The assistant will enable the company to build a continuous feedback loop — learning from driver behavior while providing proactive assistance — potentially transforming how customers interact with their cars.
Analysts say that if executed effectively, the Gemini assistant could also enhance GM’s competitiveness in the electric and autonomous vehicle markets, where software-defined vehicles are increasingly defining brand differentiation.
With its rollout planned for 2026, GM’s Gemini-powered assistant is expected to mark a pivotal moment for the company’s digital transformation.
