General Motors will add Google Gemini to about 4 million US cars

In short: General Motors says it will bring Google’s Gemini assistant to about four million cars in the US through software updates.

What happened

General Motors (GM) announced plans to add Google’s Gemini AI assistant to around four million vehicles in the United States. The update will be available for model year 2022 and newer Cadillac, Chevrolet, Buick, and GMC vehicles that have “Google built-in,” meaning Google apps and services are part of the car’s dashboard system.

GM says the change will roll out over several months through over-the-air updates. That is like how a phone gets a software update, except it happens to the car’s infotainment system (the screen and software used for maps, music, and settings).

GM says drivers should see an upgrade from the current Google Assistant to Gemini. The company says Gemini will be more conversational, so people can speak more naturally instead of memorizing exact voice commands. GM says the assistant can handle tasks like sending messages, helping with navigation, and suggesting music.

At first, Gemini will only be available in US English. GM says it plans to expand to other markets and languages over time.

GM also shared a separate milestone about Super Cruise, its driver-assist feature. The company says customers in nearly 750,000 Super Cruise enabled vehicles have now driven one billion hands-free miles. GM notes Super Cruise is not fully self-driving, it only allows hands-free driving on certain approved roads in the US and Canada.

Why it matters

For many drivers, this update could change how they use their car’s voice controls day to day. If Gemini works as promised, it may feel more like talking to a helpful passenger than operating a strict menu system, but it will still depend on software quality and where the feature is supported.

Source: The Verge AI