GM Utilizing Google-Powered Chatbot for Non-Emergency OnStar Calls

General Motors has announced that it will be utilizing Google Cloud’s Dialogflow to automate certain non-emergency OnStar functions such as navigation and call routing. The company emphasizes that the AI chatbot can identify keywords related to emergencies and promptly transfer the call to trained human operators. This implementation allows OnStar Advisors to dedicate more time to customers who require assistance from a live person.

According to GM, the OnStar Interactive Virtual Assistant (IVA) has been using Google Cloud’s Dialogflow under the hood since the IVA’s 2022 release. The virtual voice assistant can handle common customer questions and help with routing and navigation, including turn-by-turn driving directions. Companies see cooperation expanding. “The successful deployment of Google Cloud AI in GM’s OnStar service has now opened the door to future generative AI deployments jointly piloted by General Motors and Google Cloud,” the companies wrote in a joint press release.

According to the automaker, Google Cloud’s artificial intelligence has enabled OnStar to better understand customer requests the first time. Additionally, it says customers have responded positively to avoiding waiting times because they can quickly start a conversation with an AI-powered bot with a “modern, natural-sounding voice.” GM says the virtual assistant now handles more than a million customer inquiries per month in the US and Canada. OnStar IVA is available on most GM vehicles, 2015 and newer, with OnStar connectivity.

GM has also reportedly been working on developing a ChatGPT-powered assistant for its vehicles, although it’s not yet clear if the project is still on the table.

“Generative AI has the potential to revolutionize the buying, ownership and interaction experiences inside and outside the vehicle, enabling the delivery of new features and services,” GM software and services director Mike Abbott wrote in a press release. . “Our software-based approach has accelerated the creation of attractive services for our customers while increasing efficiency throughout the GM company. Working with Google Cloud is another example of our efforts to change the way customers use our products and services.”

The companies also announced today that Google’s Dialogflow technology is behind GM website chatbots, similar to the OpenAI-powered assistants that began appearing after the release of the ChatGPT API earlier this year. According to the automaker, GM’s webbots can “conversationally help answer customer questions about GM vehicles and product features based on technical information from GM’s extensive vehicle databases.”

“General Motors is leading the way in deploying AI in practical and efficient ways that ultimately create better customer experiences,” Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud, wrote today. “We look forward to a deeper relationship and more collaboration with GM as we explore how the company uses generative AI in transformative ways.”