Rivian’s two-year effort to build its own AI assistant will begin in early 2026. And when it does, the AI assistant will roll out in every existing EV in its lineup, not just the next-generation versions of the R1T truck and R1S SUV.
Drivers and passengers will be able to use the AI assistant to operate air conditioners and handle other tasks included in the vehicle’s entertainment system. It will also connect vehicle systems to third-party applications, using an agency built by Rivian engineers. Google Calendar will be the first third-party app to launch under the AI assistant, Rivian said Thursday.
“The beauty here is that we can integrate third-party agents, and this completely redefines how applications in the future will be integrated into our cars,” software development chief Wassym Bensaid said Thursday during the company’s AI & Autonomy event in Palo Alto, California.
The AI assistant will be augmented with large-scale language models — for example, Google Vertex AI and Gemini — for grounded data, natural conversation and reasoning, according to Rivian.
The AI assistant program, first reported by TechCrunch this week, reflects Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe’s push to become more vertically integrated. And that commitment was on full display at the AI & Autonomy event in Palo Alto, California. Beyond the AI assistant, the company outlined how it has developed software and new hardware, including a custom 5nm processor built in collaboration with both Arm and TSMC, that will expand the hands-free driver assistance system and ultimately let drivers take their eyes off the road.
This vertical integration project has been underway for years. In 2024, the EV maker completely reworked the guts of its flagship R1T truck and R1S SUV, changing everything from the battery and suspension system to the electrical architecture, sensor stack and software user interface.
The company’s software team led by Bensaid continued to work on building the software stack. A smaller team — the size of which Rivian would not disclose — focused on the AI assistant, which is designed to be model and platform agnostic, according to Bensaid.
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To power this AI assistant, Rivian developed what it described as a model and platform-agnostic architecture that uses custom models of large languages and is branded Rivian Unified Intelligence, or RUI. This hybrid software stack includes its own custom models and the “orchestration layer,” the conductor that makes sure the various AI models work together. Rivian said it has used other companies for specific AI functions.
“Riven Unified Intelligence is the connective tissue that runs through the heart of Rivian’s digital ecosystem,” Bensaid said at the event. “This platform enables targeted dealer solutions that add value to our entire operation and the entire lifecycle of our vehicle.”
For example, RUI will be used for more than just providing an AI assistant, according to the company. It will also be used to improve vehicle diagnostics, which Rivian describes as “an expert assistant for technicians, scanning telemetry and history to identify complex issues.”
Article updated to clarify that the AI assistant will be enhanced with the long language border featurels.
