At its GM Forward media event in New York, General Motors showcased how manufacturing scale, software expertise, and AI are converging to transform the car from a mode of transportation into an intelligent assistant.
Chair and CEO Mary Barra and other senior leaders unveiled advancements in AI, robotics, energy, and autonomy, demonstrating how the company is trying to evolve into a new era of transportation.
‘Eyes-off driving’
According to GM, one of the most significant steps toward that future is autonomy. GM announced plans to bring eyes-off driving to market in 2028, with the Cadillac ESCALADE IQ electric SUV as the debut model.
GM has already mapped 600,000 miles of hands-free roads in North America, and customers have driven 700 million miles with Super Cruise without a single reported crash attributed to the system. Additionally, the technology and validation frameworks from Cruise add more than five million fully driverless miles of experience.
“This combination of technology, scale, a decade of real-world deployment experience, and safety systems developed and tested for Super Cruise gives us the foundation to deliver the next phase of personal autonomy,” says the press release.
Conversational AI
Beginning next year, GM vehicles will feature conversational AI powered by Google Gemini, allowing you to talk to your car as naturally as you would to a fellow passenger. In the future, GM will introduce its own AI, custom-built for the vehicle.
With the customer’s permission, it will be fine-tuned to the vehicle’s intelligence and his/her personal preferences, all connected via OnStar. This could include explaining one-pedal driving in the new vehicle, spotting a maintenance issue early, or finding the perfect place for dinner en route to a destination.
Centralized computing platform
In 2028, GM will debut a new centralized computing platform, starting with the Cadillac ESCALADE IQ. This will be a complete reimagining of how vehicles are designed, updated, and improved over time. Built to power both EVs and ICE vehicles, the update unifies all central systems, from propulsion and steering to infotainment and safety, onto a single, high-speed computing core.
The result, according to the manufacturer: 10 times more over-the-air software update capacity, 1,000 times more bandwidth, and up to 35 times more AI performance for autonomy and advanced features. It’s a foundation built for continuous learning and improvement, enabling GM vehicles to evolve long after they leave the showroom.
Advanced robotics for production
GM shared progress on how it’s scaling its robotics work at the Autonomous Robotics Center (ARC) in Warren, Michigan, and a sister lab in Mountain View, California. More than 100 roboticists, AI engineers, and hardware specialists are building advanced robotics systems trained on decades of GM production data, such as telemetry, quality metrics, and sensor feeds from thousands of robots, to create AI that learns and improves with every manufacturing cycle.
ARC is also developing software and manipulation components for collaborative robots, or “cobots,” which GM is deploying in its U.S. assembly plants this year. “This creates an adaptive, efficient manufacturing environment where intelligent machines enhance safety and workplace quality,” GM explains.
V2G
“Today, most new GM electric vehicles can provide backup power from their batteries to properly equipped homes, and soon, they’ll be capable of giving power back to the electrical grid (V2G). GM offers a range of EV charging and backup home energy choices.
Starting in 2026, GM will make the full GM Energy Home System (bi-directional EV charging plus a stationary home battery) available via leasing, with terms to be announced later. This will begin with GM EV owners and later roll out to other homeowners interested in backup power and solar integration.
GM forward
“Together, these innovations signify a fundamental shift in GM’s evolution,” says GM GEO Mary Barra. “We’re moving toward a singular vision for the next phase of mobility, one driven by intelligence, safety, and scale.”
“Through AI, advanced robotics, and a powerful computing platform, we’re creating a new generation of vehicles to deliver a personalized experience for every driver. Taken together, it’s the next evolution for a company that has continually worked to develop better cars. This moment builds on our history and sets a course for the future,” she concludes.
