General Motors is gearing up to change how drivers interact with their vehicles by introducing a new “eyes-off” driving technology, expected to debut in 2028 on the Cadillac Escalade IQ electric SUV. This marks a significant step in GM’s evolving vision to make cars more than just transportation devices by integrating advanced autonomy and artificial intelligence. The announcement was part of GM’s broader technology initiative revealed recently by executives in New York.
The “eyes-off” driving system goes beyond traditional hands-free driving, allowing drivers to take their eyes off the road under certain conditions while the vehicle manages itself. This innovation builds on the foundation laid by GM’s established Super Cruise system, which already enables hands-free driving on more than 600,000 mapped miles across North America. Notably, users have amassed over 700 million miles without a reported crash attributed to the system. The enhanced system will incorporate lidar technology, a sensing technology that helps the vehicle recognize its surroundings more accurately than camera-only setups, reflecting GM’s commitment to safety and robustness in autonomous driving.
Alongside this, GM plans to introduce conversational artificial intelligence powered by Google’s Gemini platform starting next year. This AI will allow drivers and passengers to interact with their vehicle naturally via speech, much like talking to a human assistant. The AI assistant will help with everything from answering questions about the car’s features to providing tailored recommendations during a trip. Later, GM aims to roll out its own proprietary AI, designed to integrate more deeply with vehicle systems and personal preferences, promising a more customized and intelligent driving experience.
These initiatives are part of a comprehensive software strategy that will unify the vehicle’s major systems, such as propulsion, steering, infotainment, and safety, into a single, high-speed computing platform. This integration will allow far quicker software updates and more seamless performance improvements over time, aligning vehicle technology more closely with other smart devices people use daily.
GM CEO Mary Barra encapsulated the vision by painting a picture of future mobility where drivers can effortlessly transition between focusing on work, entertainment, and errands, with their car autonomously handling the driving tasks. She emphasized that this new phase will be rolled out faster than previous hands-free technologies, citing the protracted deployment of the original Super Cruise as a learning experience.
The move also reflects GM’s efforts to modernize amid challenges, including a $1.6 billion setback in its electric vehicle sector this year, partly due to shifts in government policies and changes in consumer incentives. Still, the company maintains that combining its design and manufacturing expertise with cutting-edge software and AI will help it navigate this new landscape.
In addition to autonomous and AI advancements, GM is expanding its foothold in the energy sector with GM Energy, offering new products like home battery systems and electric vehicle chargers, aiming to create an ecosystem that supports clean energy adoption.
While this new technology marks a big step forward for GM, the company is cautious to frame these initiatives as gradual evolutions rather than overnight transformations. The “eyes-off” driving technology will initially focus on highway conditions, with expectations to branch into more complex urban scenarios over time.
With plans firmly set for a 2028 launch of eyes-off driving and the conversational AI debuting in vehicles as early as next year, GM is staking a clear claim in the future of transportation, one that seeks to make driving safer, more efficient, and more connected.
