General Motors is adding an in-house AI assistant to OnStar, its subscription-based connected car service. The company announced the update Wednesday at its GM Forward event in New York, alongside plans covering software, automated driving, EVs and vehicle electrical architecture.
The assistant is designed to give drivers and passengers a more interactive experience. They will be able to use voice commands for certain vehicle functions, including climate control, and ask questions about specific vehicle features.
“OnStar is now transitioning to be a connected intelligence platform, not just the call center that it’s historically been known as, but a mechanism for interpreting, understanding, and providing predictive, proactive support to its owners,” GM’s VP of global product and chief product officer Sterling Anderson told TechCrunch ahead of the event.
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Vehicle cameras will provide live views and crash and safety recordings. Users can set them to activate when a vehicle senses a possible event, such as an aggressive horn honk. The footage can then be uploaded to the OnStar app.
GM says customers can choose what data to share. It says recordings have time limits, are encrypted and cannot be accessed by GM or OnStar. A spokesperson said third-party sharing is “feature-specific and consent-based, with information shared only as needed to provide requested functionality.” Customers can change permissions or withdraw consent. GM says withholding some data may limit related features, while other OnStar services will continue.
Those controls follow criticism of GM’s data-sharing practices. The Federal Trade Commission finalized an order barring GM and OnStar from sharing certain consumer data with consumer reporting agencies. The order also requires greater transparency and explicit consent for certain data collection.
GM will combine its connected car apps
OnStar launched 30 years ago and has changed repeatedly. In 2021, GM expanded the OnStar Guardian app’s crash detection, emergency assistance and location sharing to people with compatible phones, including those without GM vehicles. GM began using Google Cloud’s Dialogflow to recognize spoken requests in 2022. In 2023, it added answers to common routing and navigation questions as part of its plan to build a $25 billion subscription business by 2030.
The latest update comes as automakers work to keep pace with Chinese competitors on vehicle technology. GM has also changed its software development approach, adopted AI tools and designed a new electrical architecture with centralized computing.
The OnStar AI Assistant is due in the 2027 Cadillac Lyriq EV in the coming months, with more GM vehicles to follow. In 2027, GM plans to launch a mobile app that syncs with its in-car software and replaces OnStar Guardian and the Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC brand apps.
