Construction equipment giant Caterpillar has unveiled a new artificial intelligence (IA) designed to improve job site safety and increase efficiency as the industry struggles with labor shortages.
Speaking Wednesday on FOX Business’ “The Claman Countdown” from the 2026 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las VegasCaterpillar CEO Joseph Creed highlighted the company’s new Cat AI Assistant, which he said helps reduce training time for new operators while improving productivity and safety.
“Some of the things I hear when I talk to customers are“Hey, we’re short on operators and we have new operators that aren’t qualified or experienced, so the training time is really difficult,” Creed said. “And then, most importantly, security. So the Cat AI Assistant helps solve all of those issues.
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Joe Creed, CEO of Caterpillar Inc., speaks at the CES 2026 event in Las Vegas on January 7, 2026. (Bridget Bennett/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“It’s basically a personal assistant for an operator in the cab or a technician wanting to repair the machine.”
Powered by NVIDIA’s Riva voice models, the Cat AI Assistant allows operators to ask real-time questions and receive personalized recommendations related to equipment operation, parts and maintenance, according to Caterpillar.
In a demonstration using a simulated construction site at CES, Creed showed FOX Business how operators can speak directly to the machine to activate safety features in real time, including guards that help machines avoid overhead power lines.
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The Cat AI Assistant interface was on display at the Caterpillar booth at the CES 2026 event in Las Vegas on January 7, 2026. (Bridget Bennett/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“So these are power lines that you would see on a construction site,” Creed said. “It’s a challenge for our customers. So it’s a safety issue if the dam hits it. It can also return to work per days or weeks. »
Using voice commands, operators can ask the AI assistant what safety features are available and set height limits that prevent an excavator’s boom from rising too high, helping crews avoid contact with power lines.
THE technology can also recognize people on job sites and help them stay out of harm’s way, Creed said.
“The Cat AI Assistant, coupled with the autonomy and autonomous systems that we can now achieve at the cutting edge of technology through our partnership with NVIDIA, is truly a game changer when it comes to recognition, security, keeping people safe and making sure they return home to their families,” he said.
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View of a Caterpillar excavator at CES 2026 on January 6, 2026, at the Las Vegas Convention Center. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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At CES 2026, Creed also took the stage to show how artificial intelligence is shaping the next generation of heavy equipment.
Caterpillar and NVIDIA announced an expanded collaboration aimed at accelerating the use of AI on production machines and systems, according to the construction company’s website.
