Dive Brief:
- General Motors’ ongoing collaboration with Google Cloud looks to bring conversational AI technology to millions of GM vehicles, the automaker said Tuesday.
- GM is also using Google Cloud’s Dialogflow conversational AI technology to deploy online chatbots to help answer customer questions about vehicles and features.
- The partnership builds on GM’s OnStar Interactive Virtual Assistant, which launched in 2022.
Dive Insight:
GM’s collaboration with Google began in 2019 when the automaker announced some 2021 vehicles would come with Google software, allowing drivers to use popular apps without having to sync a smartphone with their vehicle. These apps included Google Maps, Google Play and Google Assistant.
Then OnStar IVA launched in 2022, integrating Google Cloud’s natural language platform “Dialogflow,” which uses AI-powered voice recognition technologies to fulfill non-emergency requests. OnStar customers can ask the IVA for help with routing or turn-by-turn directions.
GM says its OnStar virtual assistant is now handling over 1 million customer inquiries a month in the U.S. and Canada. The OnStar service is available as a monthly or yearly subscription in most model-year 2015 and newer GM vehicles.
GM is also using Google Cloud’s Dialogflow technology to deploy customer service chatbots to answer questions about GM vehicles based on the technical information from the automaker’s data repositories. These chatbots are active across GM’s websites and can provide vehicle-specific information to car shoppers.
“Generative AI has the potential to revolutionize the buying, ownership, and interaction experience inside the vehicle and beyond, enabling more opportunities to deliver new features and services,” said Mike Abbott, vice president of software and services at GM, in a statement.
GM was one of the first automakers to offer connected services when it launched OnStar on select 1997 model-year vehicles. Drivers with OnStar-equipped vehicles can summon a live customer service representative for roadside assistance, such as a flat tire or running out of gas.
