Ford is introducing an AI-powered assistant along with the upcoming BlueCruise hands-free technology

Ford Unveils AI Assistant and Advanced BlueCruise System at CES 2026

Ford has revealed plans for a new artificial intelligence assistant, which will first appear in the company’s mobile app before making its way into Ford vehicles in 2027. This announcement was made during the 2026 Consumer Electronics Show. Alongside this, Ford introduced a next-generation version of its BlueCruise driver assistance technology, which promises to be more affordable to produce and even more advanced—paving the way for hands-free driving by 2028.

Unlike previous years when major automakers dominated CES with high-profile presentations, Ford chose a more understated approach this time. The company shared its news during a “Great Minds” speaker session, focusing on the relationship between technology and humanity.

The upcoming digital assistant will be powered by Google Cloud and built using established large language models. Ford is granting the assistant deep access to vehicle data, enabling it to answer both broad questions—such as the maximum load a truck bed can handle—and provide detailed, real-time updates like current oil status.

This AI assistant will launch in the newly redesigned Ford app in early 2026. In-car integration is set for 2027, though Ford has not yet disclosed which vehicle models will receive it first.

While Ford has not provided extensive details about the in-vehicle experience, the company’s direction can be inferred by looking at competitors. For example, Rivian recently demonstrated its own assistant managing texts, navigation, and climate controls, while Tesla has incorporated the Grok chatbot for features like instant sightseeing recommendations. Ford has a year to refine its own in-car assistant to compete with these offerings.

Next-Generation BlueCruise: More Affordable and Capable

The latest BlueCruise system, previewed at CES, will cost 30% less to manufacture compared to the current version. Its debut is planned for 2027 on Ford’s first electric vehicle built on the new, cost-effective “Universal Electric Vehicle” platform, expected to be a mid-sized pickup truck.

Looking Ahead: Hands-Free Driving and Point-to-Point Autonomy

Ford’s next BlueCruise iteration aims to deliver true hands-off driving by 2028. The company also says the system will support “point-to-point autonomy,” similar to Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) feature. Rivian is also working on a comparable system, anticipated to launch later this year. Despite these advancements, all such technologies will still require drivers to remain alert and ready to take control at any time.

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