GM is bringing Google Gemini-powered AI assistant to cars in 2026 

General Motors will add a conversational AI assistant powered by Google Gemini to its cars, trucks and SUVs starting next year, the US automaker said Wednesday during an event in New York City.

The Google Gemini rollout is one of several tech-focused announcements the automaker made at the GM Forward event, and it will be one of the first to get hands-on with customers. Among others, 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 roadNot coming to GM brands until 2028.

GM is the latest automaker to turn to generative AI-based assistants that promise to respond to driver requests in more natural-sounding ways. Stellantis is collaborating with French AI firm Mistral, Mercedes is integrating ChatGPT, and Tesla Brought to you by xAI’s Grok to its vehicles.

GM’s integration with Gemini is the next logical step for the automaker Vehicles manufactured by GM brands Buick, Chevrolet, Cadillac, and GMC already have “Google built-in,” an operating system that provides access to Google Assistant, Google Maps, and other apps directly from the vehicle’s infotainment screen. In 2023, Google started using Google Cloud’s DialogFlow chatbot To handle non-urgent OnStar features, including general driver questions like routing and navigation assistance.

According to Dave Richardson, senior vice president of software and services, GM’s Gemini-powered AI assistant will have the same level of capabilities — it’ll just perform better.

“One of the challenges with current voice assistants is that if you’ve used them, you’ve probably been frustrated by them because they’re trained on certain code words or they don’t understand the pronunciation very well or if you don’t say it right, you don’t get the right response,” Richardson told TechCrunch. “What’s great about big language models is that they don’t seem affected by it. They have context from previous conversations that they can bring up. They’re flexible in how you talk to them… so overall you’re getting a better, more natural experience.”

It can draft and send messages, plan routes with extra stops (like a charging station or a favorite coffee shop), or prepare for a meeting on the go, for a more painless experience. The assistant will also have access to the web to be able to answer certain questions, such as “What is the history of the bridge I’m driving over?”

Gemini Assistant will be available through the Play Store as an over-the-air upgrade for OnStar-equipped vehicles, model year 2015 and up.

GM’s new voice assistant is a step toward the automaker’s goal of creating its own custom-built AI that connects to your car’s systems through OnStar, GM’s in-car concierge. As GM executives described the technology at the NYC event, it sounds like a mix of a health wearable and an AI bracelet, but for your car.

Assistant promises to access vehicle data to provide maintenance alerts and route suggestions, explain vehicle features like one-pedal driving, and turn on your heat or air conditioning before you get into the car.

“Here’s the idea you have to take [an existing] big language model, and you train it and refine it in a specific domain,” Richardson said. “We’ll take a base model and train it on the vehicle’s specifications, scale it down and run it on the car.”

Although GM has a close relationship with Google and will already implement Gemini in certain vehicles, Richardson said, GM plans to test several foundational models from other AI firms, which may include OpenAI, Anthropic and others.

Richardson said drivers will be able to control what information the assistant can access and use, and it can learn from practice to offer personalized recommendations. GM’s emphasis on user control is noteworthy Recent Controversies Sells customer driving and geolocation data to insurance brokers.

Any data GM receives from drivers goes directly to product improvements and will not be sold to generate additional revenue for the automaker, Richardson said. Over the past two years or so, GM has brought in a new data team — including Christina Montgomery, who spent 30 years as IBM’s chief privacy and trust officer — to put standard processes and data governance technologies in place.

“Everything we’re going to do will be driven by customer consent, so you can always opt in or opt out,” he said. “Our vision is that data and privacy should be built into everything we do.”

This article has been updated with comments from Dave Richardson.