GM CEO: 90% of Self-Driving Car Code Now Written by AI

Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors (GM), announced during the Q1 2026 earnings call that approximately 90% of the code written by the company's autonomy team is now generated by AI. This statement underscores a profound transformation in how self-driving cars are developed.

Details

Barra stated: "Today, nearly 90% of the code written by our autonomy team is generated by AI." She framed it as proof of "how seriously we’re embracing AI." This shift means human programmers are no longer writing code manually but instead focus on overseeing and guiding AI systems.

Context

This announcement comes amid an intense race in the autonomous vehicle industry among companies like Waymo, Tesla, and Aptiv. Using AI to write code accelerates development and reduces human error, potentially giving GM a competitive edge.

What It Means for Investors

This development reflects GM's commitment to investing in AI to enhance its autonomous driving capabilities. It could lead to cost reductions and faster deployment of self-driving vehicles, positively impacting the company's long-term market value. However, regulatory and competitive challenges remain.