Talking to your car is about to become far less frustrating. Instead of barking rigid commands and hoping the infotainment system understands, drivers will increasingly interact with AI assistants capable of holding surprisingly natural conversations.
However, those friendly conversations won’t necessarily be entirely selfless. Automakers have discovered that software and subscriptions can generate serious money long after a vehicle leaves the showroom.
An AI assistant could become the perfect middleman. Unlike a generic chatbot, it can potentially understand both the person behind the wheel and what’s happening inside the vehicle.
According to Automotive News, automakers see increasingly natural AI assistants as a way to improve the ownership experience while creating new opportunities to sell services. Your car could become genuinely helpful, provided you don’t mind it occasionally trying to open your wallet.
Your AI Assistant Will Know Your Car
A deeply integrated automotive assistant could have access to information that ChatGPT or another general-purpose chatbot wouldn’t normally know. That could include battery charge, tire pressure, navigation routes, climate settings, maintenance requirements, and available driver-assistance features.
AutoPacific industry analysis director Paul Waatti told Automotive News that this vehicle integration is what separates automotive assistants from generic chatbots. Instead of simply answering questions, the technology could understand what’s happening with the vehicle and recommend an appropriate response.
GM Sees Big Money In Software
General Motors is already pushing deeper into AI. The automaker has begun introducing Google’s Gemini into its vehicles while developing a separate assistant powered by GM’s own AI model.
There is a considerable financial incentive behind that investment. GM’s software and subscription business is currently on pace to generate $10.5 billion in revenue this year, making digital services an increasingly important part of the company’s business.
A conversational assistant could make those services easier to sell. Instead of owners discovering an optional feature inside an app or infotainment menu, the car could potentially recommend it during a relevant conversation.
Your Friendly Assistant Could Become A Salesperson
Stephanie Brinley of Mobility Global told Automotive News that making these systems easier and friendlier should encourage owners to use them more frequently. Increased engagement also creates additional opportunities for automakers to offer services customers might buy.
Imagine asking why a warning light appeared and having the assistant explain the problem before offering to schedule a service appointment. The same technology could potentially recommend subscriptions or optional software features based on how the vehicle is being used.
Done carefully, those suggestions could actually be convenient. Push them too aggressively, however, and the helpful digital companion could quickly start feeling like a salesperson permanently riding shotgun.
AI Could Help Sell The Car Itself
Brinley also believes AI assistants could eventually influence which vehicles consumers choose. If one car understands conversational requests almost perfectly while another requires drivers to fight through menus, that difference could become a legitimate selling point.
That makes automotive AI a balancing act. Manufacturers have an opportunity to create assistants that make increasingly complicated vehicles easier to live with, while simultaneously building another lucrative connection to customers after the original sale.
The technology could prove genuinely useful, especially as cars gain increasingly complex software and features. Just don’t be surprised when your remarkably friendly new automotive companion occasionally suggests something that happens to require your credit card.