CES 2026: Caterpillar Launches AI Assistant for Jobsites and Machines

Caterpillar demoed the AI client that offers “in-the-moment” answers and recommendations to customers, operators and technicians.

January 14, 2026

Ryan Gehm

Caterpillar says the launch of Cat AI Assistant at CES 2026 marks a major step forward for Industrial AI. (Caterpillar)

Caterpillar used the CES 2026 venue to unveil Cat AI Assistant, an AI-based solution that reportedly makes it easier for customers to buy, maintain, manage and operate their equipment. Caterpillar claims the launch marks a major step forward for Industrial AI.

Cat AI Assistant unifies Caterpillar’s portfolio of digital applications and vast amounts of proprietary data into a conversational interface that provides users with “in-the-moment” answers and recommendations for better decision-making. The AI client will be embedded in Caterpillar’s websites and applications, as well as inside the cab of machines in the future.

“Caterpillar’s strong digital foundation, including our Helios data platform that manages over 16 petabytes of reusable, high-quality data, is helping us move fast and deploy new AI capabilities to help our customers succeed,” said Ogi Redzic, Caterpillar chief digital officer. “Cat AI Assistant is a major leap forward in how Caterpillar supports customers through digital solutions, whether they’re working from corporate headquarters or at a remote jobsite.”

Cat AI Assistant exploits Caterpillar’s own data stored on the Helios unified data platform to provide users with answers and recommendations in a conversational manner. (Caterpillar)

The off-board Cat AI Assistant is expected to go live in the first quarter of 2026. It’s in the final stages of validation for in-cab applications.

Acting, not just responding

The data leveraged for Cat AI Assistant is exclusive to Caterpillar, including operation and maintenance manuals, parts catalogs, purchase history and operation of machines in the field.

Ogi Redzic, Caterpillar chief digital officer, speaks during a keynote session at CES 2026. (Ryan Gehm)

“Helios is fully cloud-native and event-driven,” Redzic said during a CES keynote session with Joe Creed, CEO of Caterpillar, and other company executives. “It brings together data from our global fleet of about 1.5 million connected assets. It sends and receives thousands of messages every second, and triggers millions of data pipelines a day to ingest, organize and deliver this data where it needs to go. That is the digital foundation that lets us move fast and deploy new AI capabilities where they matter the most – across the jobsite, in the cab of an excavator or on a large mining truck.”

Cat AI Assistant understands and responds to speech, text, images and video, and not only follows commands but also offers follow-up prompts. It can deliver information on service, fleet status and health, and purchasing. Inside machines it uses voice activation to adjust settings, guide troubleshooting and connect users to resources across Cat apps and websites.

“Most importantly, the Cat AI Assistant doesn’t just respond,” Redzic said. “It will act on the user’s behalf, whether it’s assisting with operating the machine or acting on critical health alerts or administrative tasks. And it will get ahead of the customer’s needs, suggesting a timely service or providing a reminder that fuel is running low.”

A live demo at CES 2026 showed the operator of a Caterpillar 306 mini excavator interacting with Cat AI Assistant to set a 13-foot overhead ceiling to avoid hypothetical power lines. The operator initiates the “conversation” with a “Hey Cat” prompt followed by the command or question. (Ryan Gehm)

A live demo at CES showed the operator of a Caterpillar 306 mini excavator interacting with Cat AI Assistant to set an e-ceiling to 13-feet overhead to avoid hypothetical power lines. The operator initiates the “conversation” with a “Hey Cat” prompt followed by the command or question.

Assisting at the edge

Cat AI Assistant can aid business owners, technicians and machine operators in their decision-making and daily operations. “Technically speaking, Cat AI Assistant is a group of AI agents operating together on top of our digital ecosystem presented as a simple, single assistant,” Redzic said. “What matters most, however, is what this all feels like in real life. For a customer, Cat AI Assistant is like a proactive partner. It flags machines that need attention, provides custom insights and makes actionable recommendations.”

“If you’re a condition monitoring analyst, it becomes an extra set of eyes on the customer’s equipment,” he added. “Alerting them when the maintenance is coming due or recommending the right replacement parts. And helping quickly answer questions so they can advise their customers more easily and with greater confidence.”

A live demo at CES 2026 showed the operator of a Caterpillar 306 excavator interacting with Cat AI Assistant to set a 13-foot overhead ceiling to avoid hypothetical power lines. The operator initiates the “conversation” with a “Hey Cat” prompt followed by the command or question. (Ryan Gehm)

For technicians, Cat AI Assistant can quickly access the right section from a library of thousands of instruction manuals, Redzic said, without interrupting the task at hand. It provides step-by-step guidance on repairs, highlights common issues and suggests additional parts needed to complete the job.

In the cab, Cat AI Assistant is designed to support machine operators, providing information without having to switch screens or return to the yard. It will be able to coach inexperienced operators to improve productivity, set alerts and adjust machine settings to improve operator comfort and productivity.

Cat AI Assistant can aid business owners, technicians and machine operators in their decision-making and daily operations. (Caterpillar)

Cat AI Assistant leverages the NVIDIA Jetson Thor platform to run speech recognition and advanced AI models and can even assist with directing the machine “at the edge,” Redzic said. “That means the assistance still works in remote, off-grid locations, in bad weather and tough environments. We don’t depend on a perfect cloud connection.”

Caterpillar also announced at CES an expanded collaboration with NVIDIA to further drive innovation in heavy equipment and industrial technology with physical AI and robotics.

“This technology will dramatically simplify operating a machine,” Redzic said. “It will improve productivity, and it will help keep people safe.”