Ford is releasing a new artificial intelligence assistant inside its mobile applications to answer questions about vehicle capabilities and service needs. The chatbot can answer inquiries about specific Ford and Lincoln models. It can determine fuel needs for road trips or check if a truck can tow a specific motor boat. The system links directly to the customer vehicle. Because of this connection, the assistant tracks details like fuel levels, cargo capacity, and towing limits.
This app rollout is happening in waves. Ford aims to reach 8 million owners of Ford and Lincoln vehicles through this initial release. Mike Aragon, Ford president for integrated services, shared details of the strategy in a blog post. Aragon stated that the app-first approach brings future intelligence to customers instantly. Owners do not need to purchase a brand-new vehicle to get the upgrade.
The assistant answers questions sourced from the owner manual. It also provides live updates through the telemetry system of the vehicle. Owners can upload pictures to check if their vehicle can carry or tow specific payloads. Ford first discussed plans for a chatbot earlier this year alongside a future Level 3 eyes-off driver assist system. The automaker designed the assistant to be chatbot-agnostic to work with multiple large language models.
Ford plans to release a voice-powered assistant inside the vehicles themselves during 2027. Customers must use the app-based assistant until that in-vehicle rollout happens. Aragon stated that the true magic will arrive when the assistant moves from phones to dashboard screens. This future integration will avoid phone mirroring systems like Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. Instead, it will use deep intelligence embedded directly into the driving experience.
Automakers are racing to add artificial intelligence features to stay competitive in the fast-moving market. Rivian launched a voice assistant recently. Mercedes-Benz introduced one as well. Other car companies rely on established suppliers. BMW uses Amazon Alexa. General Motors uses Google Gemini. Volvo and Polestar vehicles featuring the built-in Google operating system are also receiving Gemini.
Ford will integrate Gemini into its vehicles as an opt-in alternative to Google Assistant. This partnership was previewed earlier this year. Android-based Ford and Lincoln Digital Experiences will feature Gemini for tasks like navigation, sending text messages, and playing media. Ford envisions a future where the new assistant handles all these tasks. The system will merge vehicle-specific requests with infotainment queries to let owners create custom setups.
The assistant is free to use right now. Ford did not clarify if the feature will remain free after it becomes available through the vehicle operating system.
