A customer is driving home. A warning chime goes off.

Today, that chime usually turns into a call to your service drive.

Soon, it may turn into a question to the car: "Hey OnStar, what does that exclamation mark warning mean?"

That's a real example from GM's plans for its new OnStar AI assistant. It arrives in the coming months as an over-the-air update to the 2027 Cadillac Lyriq, with more GM vehicles to follow.

GM isn't the only automaker building an assistant into the car. It's just the clearest look yet at where this is going.

For decades, the service advisor has been the first person to explain what's wrong with a customer's car.

That moment matters. It's where trust gets built, and it's where most repair orders start.

When the car explains itself first, your advisor walks into a conversation that's already underway. The customer shows up with OnStar's answer, and maybe an opinion about whether the problem is urgent.

When a question needs a person, GM says the assistant connects the driver to an OnStar Advisor. The announcement doesn't mention dealers at all. Whether that handoff ever reaches your store will decide if this feeds your service drive or quietly drains it.

Open every write-up with a new question: "What did the car tell you?"

It shows your advisor what OnStar already said. It respects the homework the customer did. And it gives your team room to add what the car can't: judgment, context, and a plan.