GM Promises Eyes-Off Autonomous Driving in 2028
While rival Stellantis recently abandoned its Level 3 autonomous driving program, General Motors took advantage of the GM Forward media event in New York on Wednesday to make major announcements in this field as well as those of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics.
For starters, CEO Mary Barra promised the launch of semi-autonomous vehicles that no longer require the driver's attention (eyes-off driving) starting in 2028. The Cadillac Escalade IQ full-size electric SUV will start the ball rolling.
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With its current Super Cruise system, GM has already mapped nearly a million kilometres of roads for hands-free driving across North America. The automaker claims that Super Cruise users have driven more than 1.1 billion kilometres to date without a single reported accident attributed to the system.
At this rate, and considering the technological advancements that will be made over the next three years, GM is confident that Super Cruise will truly allow drivers to divert their attention from the road and become a passenger just like the other occupants of the vehicle.
Level 3 autonomous driving (on a scale from Level 0 to Level 5, the latter requiring no pedals or steering wheel) is mainly intended for traffic jams on highways, even at night or in the rain. The driver can perform other tasks, such as sending text messages, reading, playing games or watching videos, but must still remain seated, buckled up and ready to take back control whenever necessary.
Banking on Intelligence
When it comes to AI, Barra said GM vehicles will feature conversational AI with Google Gemini starting in 2026, making it possible to talk to your car as naturally as you would to a fellow passenger. Eventually, GM plans to introduce its own AI that will be fine-tuned with your vehicle’s intelligence and your personal preferences, all connected by OnStar.
This could include explaining one-pedal driving in your new vehicle, spotting a maintenance issue early or recommending a great restaurant en route to your destination.
Now, let’s go back to the Cadillac Escalade IQ, because this vehicle will be the first to benefit from GM’s new centralized computing platform. The update will unite every major system—from propulsion and steering to infotainment and safety—on a single, high-speed computing core.
The result will be 10 times more over-the-air software update capacity, 1,000 times more bandwidth and up to 35 times more AI performance for autonomy and advanced features, the company anticipates.
