OnStar Go Platform Puts IBM Watson In Cars

General Motors Co. and IBM Corp. this week said they are partnering to provide the auto industry’s first cognitive mobility platform to provide personalized marketing offers to millions of drivers beginning early next year.

The companies said OnStar Go will use Watson’s cognitive learning, or artificial intelligence capabilities, in a car to offer deals and advice in the vehicle dashboard. The system could help a driver avoid traffic, warn if a driver is low on fuel, turn on a gas pump and pay for your gas from the vehicle dashboard or order a cup of coffee while en route to a favorite coffee spot.

According to The Detroit News, Initial brand partners include MasterCard, ExxonMobil, Glympse, iHeartRadio and Parkopedia. It expands upon OnStar’s AtYourService, which was announced in January 2015, and offers deals from retailers. OnStar is a GM subsidiary that provides subscription based emergency, security, navigation and embedded Wi-Fi connectivity services along with adviser assistance.

“On average, people in the U.S. spend more than 46 minutes per day in their car and are looking for ways to optimize their time,” said Phil Abram, executive director of GM Connected Products and Strategy, in a statement. “By leveraging OnStar’s connectivity and combining it with the power of Watson, we’re looking to provide safer, simpler and better solutions to make our customers’ mobility experience more valuable and productive.”

The companies said the system would be available in more than 2 million vehicles in the United States that feature 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspots by the end of 2017. It also will be available to millions of GM-brand app mobile devices.

Watson will be able to learn a driver’s preferences, if the driver gives consent, and companies working with IBM and OnStar can tailor location-based deals in vehicles. The system could even remind a dad to pick up formula or diapers at a store a few miles before his exit.