As TechCrunch has learned, Rivian has spent nearly two years developing its own AI assistant, a project that continues to be separate from its multibillion-dollar technology three way partnership with Volkswagen.
Rivian hasn't revealed when it would put the AI assistant within the hands of consumers. However, in an interview earlier this yr, Rivian software chief Wassym Bensaid told TechCrunch that they were targeting the tip of the yr. The company will likely share more in the approaching yr AI and Autonomy Daywhich will probably be livestreamed on December eleventh starting at 9 a.m. PT.
Rivian's plans reflect a moment when the pace of development at foundational AI corporations — the tech giants and startups like Anthropic, Google, Microsoft, Meta and OpenAI which might be constructing the core models and infrastructure — is accelerating and industries are struggling to maintain up.
But as Bensaid noted to TechCrunch earlier this yr, this isn't a straightforward try to stay on trend. It's not only a chatbot thrown into the infotainment system either. The company put a number of thought, resources and time into the product, Bensaid said, noting that it’s designed to integrate with all vehicle controls.
According to Bensaid, the corporate began with the essential philosophy of developing an overall architecture that’s model and platform independent. Rivian's AI assistant team, based in the corporate's Palo Alto office, quickly realized that effort and a focus must also be focused on developing the software layers that help coordinate different workflows and the control logic that resolves conflicts.
“And that is the in-vehicle platform that we built,” Bensaid said. “We use what the industry now likes to call an agent framework; but we thought of this architecture very early on so we could interact with different models.”
The in-house AI assistant program is in step with Rivian's desire to change into more vertically integrated. In 2024, Rivian redesigned its flagship R1T truck and R1S SUV, changing every little thing from the battery pack and suspension system to the electrical architecture, sensor stack and software user interface.
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The company has also put significant resources into developing and improving its own software stack, which incorporates every little thing related to real-time operating systems (RTOS) that manage the automotive, equivalent to: E.g. thermodynamics, ADAS and safety systems, in addition to one other level related to the infotainment system.
Bensaid didn't provide detailed information in regards to the AI assistant, but said it includes a combination of models that perform specific tasks. The result’s a hybrid software stack that mixes edge AI, where tasks are accomplished on the device, and cloud AI, where large models that require more computing power are handled by distant servers.
This should mean a versatile, tailored AI assistant that shares the workload between edge and cloud.
Rivian has developed much of the AI software stack itself, including its own custom models and the “orchestration layer,” a kind of conductor or traffic cop that keeps the assorted AI models working together. Rivian contracted with other corporations to supply specific agent AI capabilities.
The mission is to create an AI assistant that increases customer trust and loyalty, Bensaid said.
The AI assistant will remain with Rivian for now. The company's three way partnership with Volkswagen focuses on software, but not an AI assistant or anything involving automated driving.
The technology three way partnership with Volkswagen, announced in 2024 and valued at as much as $5.8 billion, will give attention to the underlying electrical architecture in addition to zonal computing and infotainment. The three way partnership officially began in November 2024 and is anticipated to deliver the electrical architecture and software for the Volkswagen Group as early as 2027.
Autonomy and AI are separate for the time being, but “that doesn’t mean it may not be the case in the longer term,” Bensaid said.
