GM studying artificial intelligence assistant that could answer driver questions

General Motors is studying the possibility of an artificial intelligence voice assistant in future vehicles, according to the company.

GM Chair and CEO Mary Barra, who was asked for details Tuesday by Fox Business channel anchor Liz Claman, referenced the company’s Ultifi “end-to-end” vehicle software platform.

“It’s one of many things we can put on the vehicle. The vehicle really is a software platform and starting in 2019, General Motors started rolling out vehicles where you could do over-the-air updates for almost every module in the vehicle,” Barra said, in an interview that touched on artificial intelligence, self-driving vehicles and a current production shutdown tied to supply chain issues at one of GM's truck plants.

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“Having an assistant with a voice that’s clear enough where you can ask questions and get answers, I think that’s what the artificial intelligence will enable us to do,” Barra said, noting that “we’ll be able to make your car better as you own it.”

GM spokesman Stuart Fowle said the company hasn't confirmed any specific plans to deploy an AI voice assistant at this point, but that the company's software engineers are studying the space.

"As part of its growth strategy, General Motors views digital software and services as a core market where we intend to lead within the transportation sector. The Ultifi software platform the company will deploy this year will enable a new era of software-defined vehicles with digital experiences that can grow and evolve over time," Fowle said, noting that the shift won't just be about the evolution of voice commands.

During her interview, Barra, who was speaking after a talk at the South by Southwest conference in Austin, Texas, stood in front of a Cruise Origin. She described it as a “purpose-built ride-share vehicle.”

Barra said “we’ll have this on the road yet this year,” noting that Cruise has the technology “up and running” in San Francisco, Phoenix and Austin, a reference to its modified Chevrolet Bolt robo-taxis.

“This technology is here. This vehicle’s going to be on the road, and you’re just going to see ride-share and autonomous vehicles just continue to grow,” Barra said.

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The Free Press, however, reported in February that GM still needs approval from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to deploy the Origin, “a small bus-like vehicle that will transport up to six people without a driver. It operates through autonomous technology and has no manual steering controls or pedals.”

The report noted that the approval “depends on how satisfactorily GM answers some big questions NHTSA is asking about the operational safety of the self-driving cars Cruise already has on roads now. In some cases, those cars have caused traffic backups and other public safety disruptions.”

Technology billed as self-driving has made other headlines recently, with an extensive recall on Tesla vehicles related to its "full self-driving beta" software. NHTSA said "the software may cause crashes by allowing vehicles to perform unsafe actions," according to a recent USA Today Network story.

When asked for an update on the status of an approval for Cruise, spokesman Darryll Harrison Jr. said the company has nothing new to share related to the Cruise Origin.

During her Fox interview, Barra was also asked about a production shutdown at the company’s plant in Silao, Mexico, where the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra are built.

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“It’s what we’ve been dealing with for the last several years now, semiconductor shortages. The supply chain through COVID has just been stretched so tight, and we all know what happened as far as semiconductors,” Barra said, noting that the situation is improving and the company would be increasing production quarter to quarter this year.

The company noted in a response to questions about the shutdown that production is expected to resume at the plant on Tuesday.

Barra was also asked about the impact on auto lending and potential tightening of regulations following the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank in recent days that left markets on edge. Barra pointed to the company’s GM Financial arm.

“With that, we’re going to be in great shape to serve the customer,” she said, noting that GM Financial runs “a great business where they really know how to manage risk” and that she has “great faith in that team.”

Contact Eric D. Lawrence: elawrence@freepress.com. Become a subscriber.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: GM vehicles might feature artificial intelligence assistants one day