Ford launches AI assistant to help fleet owners monitor seatbelt usage

This week, Ford introduced an AI assistant designed to monitor and analyse millions of data points to help Ford Pro commercial customers improve their bottom line.

The move reflects a broader industry bet — one shared by many automakers — that software can become a meaningful source of revenue.

Ford Pro AI debuted at Work Truck Week in Indianapolis and is now available to all U.S.-based Ford Pro telematics subscribers. The AI assistant is included as part of the subscription. Ford has not disclosed how many Pro telematics subscribers it has in the U.S., though it says it has more than 840,000 subscribers globally.

Ford Pro, which generated $66.3 billion in revenue in 2025, is an obvious focus area for the automaker as it seeks to deliver more value to paying business customers. But it is not the only one. Earlier this year at CES 2026, Ford said it is also developing an AI assistant for owners of its passenger cars and trucks. That assistant is expected to debut first in the company’s smartphone app before expanding into its vehicles in 2027.

Ford stressed that this is not simply a chatbot. Instead, the company says its proprietary systems can provide subscribers with detailed information on fuel and seatbelt usage, as well as overall vehicle health, rather than only offering a collection of diagnostic error codes when something goes wrong. It can also give fleet managers visibility into idle times, speeding incidents, and acceleration events across their vehicles.

Like Ford’s consumer-facing AI assistant, Ford Pro AI is built on Google Cloud and relies on multiple AI agents. According to the company, the key advantage comes from using internal data from each customer’s fleet, which is meant to reduce the risk of AI hallucinations and mistakes.

Ford Pro, the business unit that includes Super Duty large trucks as well as sales to commercial, government, and rental customers, has become an important profit generator for the automaker. According to its earnings report, the Ford Pro business division posted net income of $6.8 billion in 2025. The company also said that paid Ford Pro software subscriptions increased by 30% in 2025.

Even as Ford introduces AI-powered tools for customers, the company’s executive leadership has also warned that the technology could lead to job cuts. Last year, CEO Jim Farley said he believed AI would cut the number of white-collar jobs in the United States by half. In January, Farley also said the country needed essential workers to build and support the infrastructure required to achieve its AI moonshot ambitions.