Rivian unveiled its in-house AI assistant at the AI & Autonomy event in Palo Alto, marking a significant milestone in the company’s two-year development journey, with a planned launch in early 2026.
The AI assistant allows drivers and passengers to manage various vehicle functions, including air conditioning, music, and vehicle statistics, through natural conversation, leveraging an “agentic” framework that seamlessly connects to other applications to perform tasks. Upon its launch, it will integrate with Google Calendar, enabling users to manage their schedules directly from their vehicle.
Rivian’s AI system combines the company’s internal models with Google’s Gemini and Vertex AI, ensuring effective context handling and reasoning. All these components operate on the Rivian Unified Intelligence (RUI) platform, which orchestrates multiple AI tools, allowing Rivian to incorporate external technologies while maintaining internal control over its ecosystem.
In a related development, Rivian is collaborating with Arm and TSMC to design a custom 5 nm chip, a crucial component that will support the company’s future self-driving features, underscoring its commitment to advancing autonomous driving capabilities.
Rivian’s strategy focuses on enhancing existing vehicles through software updates, rather than encouraging new purchases. Current owners of R1T and R1S models will receive a complimentary “brain transplant” upgrade, aimed at improving the cabin experience and minimizing driver distraction.
The RUI platform is also designed to assist mechanics in diagnosing issues by analyzing a vehicle’s maintenance history. Rivian views the AI assistant as the first phase of the RUI platform, with future expansions planned to include autonomous driving capabilities, internal diagnostics, and additional third-party agents to further enhance hands-free functions.
The rollout of the AI assistant will encompass all R1T and R1S vehicles produced to date, as confirmed by Rivian during the Palo Alto event. This development signifies a shift beyond traditional keyword-based commands, enabling proactive interactions with various apps and setting a new standard for in-vehicle technology.
