Ford is rolling out a new AI-powered assistant that can answer questions about Ford or Lincoln vehicles, such as how much fuel is needed for a road trip or whether a truck can tow a specific load. The assistant works as a chatbot within the Ford and Lincoln mobile apps, and because it's linked to the customer's vehicle, it knows specific details including fuel levels, cargo capacity, and towing capabilities.
Ford plans to roll out a voice-powered assistant inside vehicles in 2027, but for now customers can use the app-based version. As a stopgap measure, the company is integrating Google's Gemini as an "opt-in alternative" to Google Assistant, a partnership first previewed earlier this year. Ford says it designed its assistant to be chatbot-agnostic so it can work with a variety of different large language models.
The new assistant is being rolled out to customers in waves, with the goal of making it available to 8 million owners of Ford and Lincoln vehicles. "By taking an app-first approach, we are bringing the future of Ford intelligence directly to customers instantly," wrote Mike Aragon, Ford's president for integrated services.