GM using Google AI to handle some OnStar requests

General Motors is using artificial intelligence technology from Google to improve voice recognition through its OnStar safety and connectivity service and quickly answer some customer questions.

The automaker on Tuesday said its collaboration with the technology giant, dating to 2019, has woven Google Cloud's Dialogflow technology into OnStar's Interactive Virtual Assistant that debuted last year. It can give users turn-by-turn navigation help and improves OnStar's ability to pick up on a customer's spoken request the first time, GM said.

The virtual assistant's help with route assistance and other nonemergency requests through the in-vehicle OnStar button frees up advisers to handle issues that need human intervention.

The Google technology also is present in chatbots that GM has placed on its corporate and vehicle brand websites, enabling conversational responses to consumers' questions, the automaker said. GM and Google are piloting other uses for AI technology.

"Generative AI has the potential to revolutionize the buying, ownership and interaction experience inside the vehicle and beyond, enabling more opportunities to deliver new features and services," Mike Abbott, GM's executive vice president of software and services, said in a statement. "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."

GM said the Google-powered virtual assistant is now offered in most of its vehicles from the 2015 model year to present that have OnStar connected, and that it responds to more than 1 million customer requests each month in the U.S. and Canada.

The automaker is building services such as Google Assistant, Maps and Play into more vehicles so they can be accessed through the display screens.

"General Motors is at the forefront of deploying AI in practical and effective ways that ultimately create better customer experiences," Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian said in a statement. "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."