American automaker Ford has launched a new AI assistant for vehicle owners through its Ford and Lincoln mobile apps. The company will make the assistant available to approximately 8 million owners of Ford and Lincoln vehicles. The rollout is being conducted gradually, in waves.
The AI assistant currently works as a chatbot inside the Ford and Lincoln apps. Because the app is linked to the customer's vehicle, the assistant knows vehicle details including exact make and model, fuel levels, cargo capacity, and towing capabilities. The assistant can answer questions from the owner's manual and process live updates from the vehicle's telemetry system.
Owners can ask the assistant questions such as how much fuel they will need for a trip or whether their vehicle can tow a boat. They can also upload photos of cargo or payloads to check whether their vehicle can carry or tow them. The assistant can access real-time vehicle information such as fuel level, tire pressure, and remaining oil life.
The assistant can provide instructions for using features such as BlueCruise hands-free driving and Pro Trailer Backup Assist on the F-150. It can also give specifications such as cargo compartment size, allowing owners to check whether an item like a big-screen TV fits. The AI Assistant can be accessed by tapping a blue celestial-style icon at the top of the app, which opens a chat dialog. It can also answer questions about the vehicle's capabilities or future service needs.
App-first approach that brings the future of Ford intelligence directly to customers instantly
The AI assistant will be free to use and is not placed behind a paywall or subscription. Ford did not say whether the assistant will remain free after it is integrated into the vehicle's operating system. Ford plans to launch a voice-powered AI assistant integrated directly into vehicles around 2027. For now, customers must use the app-based assistant; the in-vehicle voice assistant will come later.
Ford is offering the assistant through mobile apps so owners do not have to buy a new vehicle. Mike Aragon said customers do not have to wait to buy a brand-new vehicle because Ford is upgrading the ownership experience they already have. He described the rollout as an app-first approach that brings the future of Ford intelligence directly to customers instantly.
Mike Aragon said the true magic will come when the assistant moves from owners' phones to dashboard screens. He said the future in-vehicle experience will involve deep, thoughtful intelligence embedded directly into the driving experience, not phone mirroring like Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. Ford says starting with its mobile app lets it introduce more customers to its assistant than it could through a software update.
Ford first announced plans to introduce a chatbot earlier this year. The company announced the chatbot alongside promises for a future Level 3 eyes off driver assist system. Ford did not disclose which AI developers it is working with and designed its assistant to be chatbot-agnostic so it can work with various large language models.
Ford is integrating Google's Gemini into its vehicles as an opt-in alternative to Google Assistant as a stopgap measure. The Android-based Ford and Lincoln Digital Experiences will feature Gemini, helping with navigation, text messages, media, and climate control. Ford envisions the new assistant eventually merging vehicle-specific requests with infotainment-level queries, allowing owners to create a custom system tailored to preferences.
Rivian and Mercedes-Benz have recently launched their own voice assistants. BMW is using Amazon's Alexa and General Motors is using Google's Gemini as AI assistants. Volvo and Polestar vehicles with Google's built-in operating system will also get Gemini. Ford and Lincoln said the gradual rollout will help them learn, iterate, and quickly scale to deliver the best possible experience.
