The successful deployment of OnStar virtual assistance powered by Google Cloud on General Motors vehicles led both parties to further explore generative AI applications.
Heaptalk, Jakarta — General Motors announced the expansion of its partnership with Google Cloud to explore new generative AI applications across the business.
In 2022, the Detroit-headquartered automaker launched OnStar Interactive Virtual Assistant (IVA), powered by intent recognition algorithms developed by Google Cloud’s conversational AI technology. OnStar IVA provides customers with answers to frequently asked questions, as well as routing and navigation assistance.
The successful deployment of OnStar virtual assistance led both parties to further explore generative AI applications. Executive Vice President of Software and Services at GM Mike Abbott acknowledged that generative AI has the potential to revolutionize the experience of purchasing, ownership, and interaction inside the vehicle and beyond, enabling more opportunities to deliver new features and services.
“Our software-led approach has accelerated the creation of compelling services for our customers while driving increased efficiency across the GM enterprise. The work with Google Cloud is another example of our efforts to transform how customers engage with our products and services,” Abbott said.
Collaborating since 2019
According to CEO of Google Cloud Thomas Kurian, General Motors is at the forefront of applying AI in practical and effective ways that create better customer experiences. He said, “We’re looking forward to a deepened relationship and more collaboration with GM as we explore how the company uses generative AI in transformational ways.”
Prior to OnStar IVA, GM and Google Cloud had collaborated in 2019 when the automaker released its first vehicles with Google built-in. Since then, the number of GM vehicles with Google built-in has grown. Customers can easily access Google Assistant, Google Maps, and Google Play, directly from their vehicle’s Center display.
Further, GM expanded the collaboration to the implementation of Google Cloud’s conversational AI technology named Dialogflow. With this technology, OnStar virtual assistants now handle more than 1 million customer inquiries each month in the US and Canada. This service is available on most model year 2015 and newer GM vehicles connected by OnStar.
