Okay, so Ford's making some big moves at CES 2026, and honestly, it's about time they stepped up their tech game. While other automakers were kinda quiet, Ford dropped some interesting news about an AI assistant and a revamped BlueCruise system.

First up, the AI assistant. I think it's pretty cool that Ford is planning to roll out an AI assistant starting in their smartphone app in 2026, before integrating it into their vehicles in 2027. They're using Google Cloud and these off-the-shelf LLMs, but giving it access to all sorts of vehicle info. We are talking about real utility, like "Can my truck bed hold all this mulch?", instead of just gimmicky features. Imagine asking your car about the oil life in real-time – now that's handy! I just hope it will be useful and not a gimmick.

Next-Gen BlueCruise

Then there's the new BlueCruise. Ford says it will be 30% cheaper to build, which is always a good thing. The most interesting thing is that the company promised eyes-off driving in 2028 and point-to-point autonomy, so it seems that Ford is trying to compete with Tesla's Full Self-Driving. I'm always a bit skeptical about these "self-driving" claims, especially given the current state of the technology. You still need to be ready to take control at any moment, which kinda defeats the purpose, doesn't it?

This new BlueCruise will debut in 2027 on their first EV built on the "Universal Electric Vehicle" platform, which is expected to be a mid-sized pickup. So, it looks like Ford is betting big on EVs and advanced driver assistance systems.