Caterpillar CEO Joseph Creed unveiled the AI assistant tool at CES 2026
Caterpillar CEO Joe Creed demonstrates the Cat AI assistant, discusses the cost impact and breaks down their 2026 strategy in ‘The Claman Countdown.’
Construction equipment giant Caterpillar has launched a new artificial intelligence (AI) tool designed to improve workplace safety and improve efficiency as the industry faces labor shortages.
Speaking Wednesday on FOX Business’ “The Claman Countdown” from the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2026 in Las Vegas, Caterpillar CEO Joseph Creed highlighted the company’s new “Cat AI Assistant,” which he said helps shorten training time for new employees while improving productivity and safety.
“Some of the things I hear when I talk to clients are, ‘Hey, we have a labor shortage problem, and we have new workers who don’t have the skills and experience, so the training period is really difficult’,” Creed said. “… Then, most importantly, safety. So ‘Cat AI Assistant’ helps to deal with all these things.”
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Joe Creed, CEO of Caterpillar Inc., speaks during the 2026 CES event in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Jan. 7, 2026. (Bridget Bennett/Bloomberg via Getty Images/Getty Images)
Creed added, “It’s basically a personal assistant for the cab operator or the technician who wants to fix the machine.”
Powered by NVIDIA’s Riva speech models, the “Cat AI Assistant” allows operators to ask questions in real time and receive relevant recommendations related to machine operation, parts, and maintenance, according to Caterpillar.
During a demonstration using a simulated construction environment at CES, Creed showed FOX Business how operators can speak directly to the machine to activate safety features in real time — including protections that help machines avoid overhead power lines.
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The “Cat AI Assistant” interface on display at the Caterpillar booth during the 2026 CES event in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Jan. 7, 2026. (Bridget Bennett/Bloomberg via Getty Images/Getty Images)
“So these are the power lines you would see on a construction site,” said Creed. “That’s a challenge for our customers, so it’s a safety concern when the boom hits it. It could also set a job back days or weeks.”
Using voice commands, operators can ask the AI assistant about available safety features and set height limits that prevent the excavator’s boom from going too high, helping workers avoid contact with power lines.
The technology can also detect people in the workplace and help protect them from accidents, Creed said.
“The ‘Cat AI Assistant’ paired with autonomous and autonomous programming that we can now do at the edge through our partnership with NVIDIA, is really a game changer when it comes to recognition, security, keeping people safe, making sure they get home to their families,” he said.
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Caterpillar (Cat) pit view at CES 2026 on Jan. 6, 2026 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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At CES 2026, Creed once again took the main stage to show how artificial intelligence is shaping the next generation of heavy equipment.
Caterpillar and NVIDIA have announced an expanded collaboration aimed at accelerating the use of AI across machines and manufacturing systems, according to the construction company’s website.
