General Motors is building a proprietary artificial intelligence system designed to deepen its grip on customer data while positioning itself as the arbiter of what drivers can do with their own vehicles. The company plans to launch the unnamed system later this year, marking a significant shift toward corporate control over in-vehicle technology and the personal information it collects.
Anna Santos, GM's director of product management of voice and AI/machine learning, framed the move as progress. "Later this year, we'll be launching a more deeply integrated native AI assistant that combines conversational AI with GM vehicle knowledge and OnStar intelligence to create those capabilities that go beyond what a general purpose assistant can do," she said. Translation: GM wants to lock customers into its ecosystem, not Google's or any other competitor's.
The strategy reveals a troubling pattern in how corporate America approaches artificial intelligence. Rather than empowering consumers, GM is consolidating control. The company acknowledged that "it's data that's going to be proprietary to GM, and our goal is to make sure that we're bringing the right technology forward to enable us to build the deep vehicle expertise that we want to be able to bring to the AI assistant." That proprietary data includes intimate details about driving habits, maintenance patterns, and personal preferences—information that should belong to the people whose vehicles generate it.
What GM Is Actually Building
Last year, GM announced that Google's Gemini AI bot would launch this year in millions of 2022 model-year vehicles and newer. Gemini allows customers to speak naturally without memorizing commands, and it can control some vehicle functions like temperature and radio controls. It also offers conversational features and games such as trivia or 20 questions.
But Gemini is just the opening move. The new GM system aims to go further, with features like "kids setting" that would tailor music, seats, heating and cooling, and door lock controls for children. More significantly, GM is working with an unnamed large language model provider on technology for predictive maintenance and vehicle telemetry—capabilities that generate enormous amounts of data about how the vehicle is used, how it's maintained, and what drivers do behind the wheel.
Santos acknowledged the limitation of the current approach: "There's a limit to what an AI that's just sort of sitting at the top level of the vehicle can do." That's corporate-speak for admitting that surface-level integration doesn't capture enough valuable customer data.
The Data Question Nobody's Asking
What's missing from GM's announcement is any discussion of data privacy, consumer consent, or limits on how this information will be used. The company hasn't explained whether drivers will have the right to access the data GM collects about them, delete it, or prevent it from being sold to third parties. It hasn't committed to transparency about how the AI system makes decisions—for instance, what triggers a maintenance alert or how the system prioritizes safety features.
This matters because vehicle data is increasingly valuable. Insurance companies, advertisers, and government agencies all have incentives to access information about driving patterns, locations visited, and vehicle maintenance. When a single corporation controls both the vehicle and the AI system that interprets its data, there's no independent check on how that information flows or who profits from it.
The broader context makes this even more concerning. As vehicles become more connected and autonomous features become standard, the companies that control the software will have unprecedented power over how people move through the world. GM's decision to build a proprietary system rather than support open standards or interoperable platforms suggests the company views this as a competitive advantage to be guarded, not a public good to be shared.
Why This Matters:
GM's proprietary AI system represents a troubling consolidation of power that extends beyond the automotive industry. When corporations control both the hardware and the software that interprets it, consumers lose bargaining power and transparency. The data generated by vehicles—information about where people drive, how often they maintain their cars, and their personal preferences—is deeply personal. Without clear regulations requiring consent, transparency, and limits on data use, companies like GM can monetize this information without meaningful accountability to the people who generate it. As AI becomes embedded in everyday products, the question of who owns the data and who benefits from it will only become more urgent. GM's move signals that without intervention, corporations will choose closed systems over open ones, concentrating wealth and control in fewer hands.