General Motors announced plans to integrate advanced AI and a Level 3 hands-off, eyes-off automated driving system into its vehicles, starting with the Cadillac Escalade IQ in 2028. The system will allow drivers to disengage from highway driving up to 80 mph in controlled environments. CEO Mary Barra emphasized a safety-first approach during a preview event in New York City.
At a preview event in New York City on October 22, 2025, General Motors showcased upcoming advancements in vehicle technology. The highlight was the introduction of a Level 3 conditional automated driving system for the Cadillac Escalade IQ, set to launch in 2028. Described as "hands off, eyes off," this system uses advanced digital mapping, lidar, other sensors, and machine learning to handle driving duties on highways up to 80 mph (129 km/h) in controlled environments. Over time, its operational areas will expand to cover more roads, potentially reducing the need for driver intervention in many scenarios.
"We’re taking a safety-first approach," CEO Mary Barra told journalists. "You’ll see us roll out much, much faster than what we did with Super Cruise." Initially limited to the Escalade IQ, GM plans to extend the system across its lineup. It aims to operate in all 50 states and various weather conditions, surpassing Mercedes-Benz's current Level 3 offering in speed capabilities. The company drew lessons from its now-shuttered Cruise autonomous vehicle program and introduced a new liquid-cooled compute module to support these demands.
Beyond driving assistance, GM is incorporating AI for enhanced vehicle interactions. It will initially use Google Gemini for natural language processing, with plans to deploy its own large language model (LLM) tailored to the car. This on-board LLM, limited in parameters, will function without cloud reliance, enabling operation in low-data areas and keeping personal information local.
Dave Richardson, GM's senior vice president of software, highlighted practical AI applications, such as automatically setting navigation for meetings or queuing media for road trips. "There’s a lot of hype around AI right now," Richardson said. "But there’s also practical use. I’ve been trying to focus the company on practical use cases."
On data privacy, GM requires owner consent for sharing and states it has no interest in selling data to third parties. "Data privacy and security is priority one for us," Richardson affirmed, noting internal hires to enforce protection frameworks. The data collected will primarily improve products like Super Cruise and AI features.