General Motors is introducing a personal AI assistant to OnStar as part of a significant overhaul of its subscription-based connected car service, which has been in operation for 30 years. The OnStar AI Assistant is set to debut in the 2027 Cadillac Lyriq EV in the coming months, with additional GM vehicles to follow. This announcement was made on Wednesday at the GM Forward event in New York, where the company unveiled several other technology initiatives related to software, automated driving, electric vehicles (EVs), and its electrical architecture.
New Mobile App Launch
GM plans to launch a new OnStar mobile app in 2027, designed to complement and synchronize with its in-car software. This new app will replace the existing OnStar Guardian app, which was introduced in 2020, as well as the vehicle brand apps for Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC. This tech-focused reboot aims to place agentic AI at the forefront, distinguishing it from previous modernization attempts.
Enhancements and Features
The company has made numerous updates to its safety and roadside assistance service over the years, particularly in the last five years, to keep pace with tech-savvy competitors like Tesla. Key developments include:
- In 2021, the expansion of the OnStar Guardian app to offer crash detection, emergency assistance, and location sharing to anyone with a compatible phone, regardless of GM vehicle ownership.
- In 2022, GM began utilizing Google Cloud’s conversational AI Dialogflow to recognize specific spoken requests.
- In 2023, the company expanded its capabilities to provide drivers with responses to common queries, such as routing and navigation assistance.
