Rivian has spent nearly two years developing its own AI assistant. This project remains separate from the company’s multibillion-dollar technology joint venture with Volkswagen.
Rivian has not yet announced a release date for the assistant for consumers. However, in an interview earlier this year, Rivian’s software chief Wassym Bensaid stated the company was targeting the end of the year for its launch. More details are expected during Rivian’s upcoming AI and Autonomy Day, which will be livestreamed starting at 9 a.m. Pacific Time on December 11.
This move reflects the current industry trend, as carmakers and other sectors work to keep pace with rapid advancements from foundational AI companies like Anthropic, Google, Microsoft, Meta, and OpenAI. Bensaid emphasized that Rivian’s effort is not a hasty attempt to follow a trend, nor is it simply a chatbot added to the infotainment system. The company has invested considerable thought, resources, and time into a product designed to integrate with all vehicle controls.
The development began with a philosophy to build an overall architecture that is agnostic to specific AI models and platforms. The Rivian AI assistant team, based in Palo Alto, focused on creating the software layers that coordinate various workflows and the control logic that resolves conflicts. Bensaid described this as an “agentic framework,” an architecture planned from the start to interface with different AI models.
This in-house AI program aligns with Rivian’s broader push toward vertical integration. In 2024, the company overhauled its flagship R1T truck and R1S SUV, updating the battery pack, suspension, electrical architecture, sensor stack, and software user interface. Rivian has also dedicated significant resources to developing its own software stack, which manages everything from real-time operating systems for vehicle functions to the infotainment layer.
While Bensaid did not provide exhaustive details, he explained the AI assistant uses a mix of models for specific tasks. This creates a hybrid software stack combining edge AI, where tasks are processed on the vehicle itself, and cloud AI, which handles larger models on remote servers. The goal is a flexible, customized assistant that intelligently splits workloads between the edge and the cloud.
Rivian developed much of this AI software stack internally, including custom models and the crucial “orchestration layer” that ensures the various AI models work together seamlessly. The company did partner with other firms for specific agentic AI functions. The overarching mission is to create an AI assistant that increases customer trust and engagement.
For the present, this AI assistant project remains solely within Rivian. The separate joint venture with Volkswagen, announced in 2024 and valued at up to $5.8 billion, is focused on shared software for underlying electrical architecture, zonal compute, and infotainment systems. That partnership, which officially began in November 2024, is expected to supply Volkswagen Group with its technology as early as 2027.
Automated driving and the AI assistant are separate from this joint venture for now. As Bensaid noted, while autonomy and AI are distinct currently, that does not rule out potential future collaboration.