Caterpillar CEO Joe Creed will demonstrate the Cat AI assistant, discuss the impact of tariffs and detail the company's strategy for 2026 on “The Claman Countdown.”
Construction equipment giant Caterpillar has announced new artificial intelligence (AI) tools designed to improve jobsite safety and increase efficiency as the industry faces labor shortages.
Speaking Wednesday on FOX Business' “The Craman Countdown” at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2026 in Las Vegas, Caterpillar CEO Joseph Creed emphasized that the company's new Cat AI assistant will help reduce training time for new operators while improving productivity and safety.
“When I talk to customers, what I hear is, 'There's a shortage of operators, and new operators don't have the skills and experience, so it's really hard to train them,'” Creed said. “And the most important thing is safety, so the Cat AI assistant helps address all of this.
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Caterpillar CEO Joe Creed speaks at the 2026 CES event in Las Vegas on January 7, 2026. (Bridget Bennett/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“It's basically a personal assistant for cab operators and technicians who want to repair machines.”
Caterpillar says Cat AI Assistant, powered by NVIDIA's Riva voice model, allows operators to ask questions in real time and receive customized recommendations related to equipment operations, parts and maintenance.
During a demonstration using a mock construction site at CES, Creed showed FOX Business how an operator can talk directly to a machine to activate safety features in real time, including a protection feature that helps the machine avoid overhead power lines.
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The Cat AI Assistant interface was on display at the Caterpillar booth during the 2026 CES event in Las Vegas on January 7, 2026. (Bridget Bennett/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“So these are power lines like you would see at a construction site,” Creed said. “This is a challenge for our customers. So when the boom comes, there are safety concerns. And it can also delay work by days or even weeks.”
Operators use voice commands to ask the AI assistant about available safety features and set height limits to prevent the excavator's boom from rising too high, helping the crew avoid contact with power lines.
Creed said the technology can also help recognize people in the field and move them away from danger.
“Cat AI Assistant is truly a game changer when it comes to awareness, safety, and keeping people safe and making sure they get home to their families, combined with the autonomy and autonomous systems that our partnership with NVIDIA allows us to run at the edge,” he said.
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A view of a Caterpillar excavator at CES 2026 at the Las Vegas Convention Center on January 6, 2026. (Teyfan Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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At CES 2026, Creed also gave a keynote address, highlighting 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 machinery and production systems, according to the construction company's website.
