Caterpillar's new AI assistant wants to make construction smarter
Caterpillar just dropped its Cat AI Assistant at CES 2026, aiming to make life easier for people working with big construction and mining machines.
Powered by NVIDIA's Jetson Thor platform, this assistant can understand voice commands, offer real-time safety alerts, and give productivity tips—all hands-free.
It's a step toward making tough jobs a bit smoother and more efficient.
What makes it tick: NVIDIA Jetson Thor
At the heart of the Cat AI Assistant is NVIDIA's Jetson Thor, running on the powerful Blackwell GPU.
This setup delivers over seven times the AI performance of its predecessor while using less energy.
It can process tons of sensor data in under 10 milliseconds—fast enough for real-time help on busy job sites.
How it actually helps on the job
Operators get guidance from startup to shift handoff without fiddling with screens, while technicians can use voice-guided repair manuals and parts suggestions.
Fleet managers also get insights that help cut down machine downtime.
The off-board version lands early 2026, with an in-cab version rolling out soon after.
Big picture: Smarter fleets are coming
Caterpillar plans to roll out this tech across its fleet using their Helios platform—which manages a massive amount of data—to give even smarter recommendations.
If you're into how AI is changing real-world industries (and not just apps), this launch is one to watch.