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OnStar AI will pair voice-operated vehicle controls with a new app. GM says its internally developed assistant will offer deeper vehicle integration than its current system.
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GM is preparing OnStar AI as a subscription service, with the 2027 Cadillac Lyriq set to receive it by wireless update in the coming months after the October 21, 2026, GM Forward announcement. Its first use case is voice access to vehicle functions, not the household travel coordination Sterling Anderson described as a future possibility. GM says closer vehicle integration is its goal compared with its current Gemini assistant, but has not demonstrated an advantage; the rollout will test whether that integration can support a paid product.
The assistant will pair with a new app and handle requests such as turning on the air conditioning by voice.
GM expects other vehicles to follow the Lyriq, but has not named them or given their rollout dates.
OnStar’s 12 million subscribers belong to its existing roadside assistance and security service, not the forthcoming AI product.
General Motors expects to bring its subscription OnStar AI assistant to 2027 Cadillac Lyriqs in the coming months through a wireless software update. The automaker outlined the planned rollout at its October 21, 2026, GM Forward event in New York. The Lyriq will be the first model to receive the assistant, with other vehicles expected to follow.
Paired with a new app, OnStar AI will initially let drivers speak requests for vehicle functions, GM told WIRED. Its example is straightforward: turn on the air conditioning by voice instead of working through a menu. The initial pitch is easier access to controls inside the car.
GM currently uses Google’s Gemini for its in-vehicle AI assistant. The company told CNBC earlier this year that its own AI would be more closely integrated with the vehicle. Deeper integration is GM’s stated goal for OnStar AI, rather than a demonstrated advantage over the current assistant.
The assistant borrows an established name. OnStar, GM’s roadside assistance and security service, is 30 years old and has 12 million subscribers, according to WIRED. That figure describes the existing OnStar service, not customers of the forthcoming AI assistant. GM is preparing to offer the assistant through a subscription.
We’d like to make your vehicle a more central, more useful part of your life than it has been historically.
Sterling Anderson, GM chief product officer, speaking to WIRED
Anderson offered WIRED a more expansive possibility: the assistant might eventually coordinate children’s pickups and drop-offs based on which spouse’s car is closer. That example moves beyond operating a function in one vehicle to helping organize travel across a household. He presented it as something the system could do in the future, not a confirmed feature of the upcoming rollout.
Story updates
General Motors plans to let drivers set vehicle cameras to record automatically when the car senses an impending event. As part of its OnStar overhaul, GM says recordings will be encrypted and customers will control data sharing—but declining to share some data may limit access to related features.
GM described the connected-camera functions at its October 21 GM Forward event in New York. Cameras linked to the vehicle’s software will offer live views, along with crash and safety recordings, according to TechCrunch. Users will be able to configure automatic recording rather than having to start every capture themselves.
The company’s example is an aggressive horn honk: the vehicle could sense an impending event, activate its cameras, capture what happens and upload the recording to the OnStar app. That sequence is a planned capability, not an account of a system already operating in customers’ cars. GM’s announcement describes user-configured triggers, not a requirement that every vehicle record automatically.
GM says Connected Camera recordings will be encrypted and subject to time limits. It also says neither GM nor OnStar can access those recordings. Those assurances concern the footage itself; the company separately described how permission to share data will work across connected features.
A GM spokesperson told TechCrunch that sharing with third parties will depend on the feature and the customer’s consent. Information will be shared only as needed to provide requested functionality, the spokesperson said. Customers will be able to manage permissions and withdraw consent. Refusing some sharing may restrict related functions, while other OnStar services will continue.
The privacy commitments follow regulatory action over GM’s handling of customer information. Earlier in 2026, the Federal Trade Commission finalized an order barring GM and OnStar from sharing certain consumer data with consumer reporting agencies. The order also requires greater transparency and explicit consent for certain data collection. That is the relevant backdrop to GM’s new promises, rather than a finding about the announced camera system.
The same overhaul includes an internally developed OnStar AI Assistant. GM says it will debut in the 2027 Cadillac Lyriq in the coming months, with more vehicles to follow. Users will be able to control certain vehicle functions by voice, including climate settings, and ask questions about specific vehicle features.
A new OnStar mobile app is planned for 2027 to complement and sync with the in-car software. It will replace OnStar Guardian and the separate Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC apps. The camera uploads are therefore part of a broader effort to bring vehicle functions and their mobile companion into a more unified service.
GM’s chief product officer, Sterling Anderson, described the intended shift in an interview with TechCrunch ahead of the event: OnStar would move beyond its historical call-center role toward interpreting information and offering predictive, proactive support. The automatic camera triggers are one concrete part of that announced direction; the assistant and consolidated app remain planned rollouts.
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