GM's OnStar gets an AI makeover — but humans will still answer when airbags deploy
General Motors is integrating AI into its OnStar service to assist with vehicle functions and navigation, but will maintain human operators for emergency calls. Executives emphasized that human oversight is necessary for high-stakes safety situations.
Why it matters
This highlights the 'human-in-the-loop' debate in AI deployment, where companies must balance automation efficiency with the reliability required for life-critical services.
GM executives confirmed to Business Insider that humans are still staffing OnStar call centers to handle emergencies. General Motors GM says it's keeping humans in its OnStar call centers to help with emergencies. It comes as OnStar is getting a fresh makeover, complete with AI. "The stakes are too high," an exec told BI about the human-in-the-loop. GM is giving OnStar an AI overhaul. The automaker says it is not coming for the person who answers when your airbags deploy. On Wednesday, during the company's tech conference, GM Forward, Ed Nightingale, GM's vice president of digital products, told Business Insider that the automaker would continue to use human OnStar staffers on emergency calls to contact first responders. "That's something that isn't changing," Nightingale said.
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