General Motors (GM) has announced the appointment of its first chief artificial intelligence officer as the company seeks to expand its use of AI across its vehicle lineup and various business operations. The automaker has hired Barak Turovsky, a 49-year-old former AI leader at Cisco and Google, to take on the new role.
A recent Gartner survey found that a diverse set of leaders is currently accountable for AI delivery. Research shows that the head of AI must combine business and technology leadership to effectively assess the possibilities, power and perils of AI and GenAI.
Barak Turovsky will be a part of GM’s software and services engineering team and will report to Dave Richardson, the senior vice president of the department. In 2024, GM had promoted Dave Richardson and Baris Cetinok, two former Apple executives, to oversee the company’s software organization. The move highlights GM’s increasing focus on technology-driven solutions and AI integration within its products and services.
In a statement, Dave Richardson emphasized the importance of AI to GM’s future in electric vehicles (EVs), internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, and autonomous driving. He noted that Barak Turovsky’s expertise would help accelerate AI advancements within the company, leading to enhanced products, optimized operations, and an improved customer experience.
Barak Turovsky’s team will be tasked with integrating AI-driven software capabilities into GM’s vehicle lineup and working on other AI-driven projects. GM has already been utilizing AI in several areas, such as selecting optimal locations for EV chargers, improving vehicle order processes for dealers, and optimizing its manufacturing operations.
GM, which reported annual revenue of $187.442 billion in 2024, previously stated that its capital spending for 2025 is expected to remain within the range of $10 billion to $11 billion, which includes investments in battery joint ventures.
