Dive Brief:
- General Motors is adding Google’s Gemini generative AI voice assistant to model year 2022 and newer Cadillac, Chevrolet, Buick, and GMC vehicles featuring Google built-in, the automaker announced in an April 28 press release.
- The AI-powered chatbot will be available later this year for approximately 4 million eligible vehicles in the U.S., which the company says is one of the largest deployments of Gemini in the auto industry.
- “Gemini delivers AI assistance to millions of drivers across every segment and price point for a wide range of everyday needs,” said Tim Twerdahl, GM’s global VP of product management, in a statement. “That kind of scale is only possible because of the connected vehicle foundation GM has built through OnStar over the past 30 years.”
Dive Insight:
Gemini will be accessible via the infotainment systems of GM vehicles in the U.S. with Google built-in. It will utilize the vehicle’s software platform and the automaker’s OnStar connectivity to deliver more intuitive information to passengers. Gemini will also tap into popular in-vehicle apps, including Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify and YouTube.
The partnership builds on GM’s OnStar Interactive Virtual Assistant, which launched in 2022 and integrates Google Cloud’s natural language platform Dialogflow.
GM said customers will notice significant improvements from the current Google Assistant to Gemini, which uses conversational AI that combines machine learning and natural language processing to simulate a human conversation via voice or text.
The update will be rolled out over several months and drivers will see a message on their vehicle’s infotainment screen letting them know when it’s available to download. Drivers can also opt out from using Gemini.
Using Gemini, drivers will be able to draft and send messages or plan routes with specific context, such as finding the nearest post office, EV charging station or where to find pizza along a route. Gemini will also continue to improve over time with regular over-the-air updates.
Gemini will have access to the vehicle’s owner’s manual, with an encyclopedic knowledge of every part, system and component in the vehicle, according to GM. Last fall, GM announced that it will introduce its own custom-built AI that is fine-tuned with a vehicle’s intelligence and a driver’s personal preferences.
When connected via OnStar, drivers can ask Gemini vehicle-specific information like upcoming maintenance needs, how to use a vehicle feature or optimal route timing. New GM vehicles get eight years of OnStar features standard; coverage for models from the 2024 model year and earlier costs $14.99 to $49.99 monthly depending on the package and features.
Gemini will also be available for GM’s commercial customers. For fleet vehicles, drivers can ask Gemini to find the least expensive fuel stops, plan the most efficient route or find nearby parking that can accommodate trailers.
Gemini will be added to GM’s next-generation centralized computing platform launching in 2028. The vehicle architecture bundles propulsion, steering, braking, infotainment and safety through a high-speed Ethernet network, which the company said delivers up to 35x more AI performance than its previous systems.
Separately, Google is launching a software-defined vehicle platform. In March, Google announced the new open-source platform dubbed “Android Automotive OS for Software Defined Vehicles,” which provides a standardized vehicle architecture for OEMs. The platform will be available in the Android Open Source Project later this year. It provides a standardized software layer for vehicle architectures that reduces complexity.
At launch later this year, the Gemini assistant will be available for GM vehicles using U.S. English as the default voice assistant language, but the update will expand to additional markets and support more languages over time, per the release.
