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Rivian's AI Assistant: Your Car's New Brain Arrives Early 2026
11 Dec
Summary
- Rivian's in-house AI assistant launches in early 2026 for all existing EVs.
- The AI will control vehicle functions and integrate with third-party apps.
- This AI advances Rivian's vertical integration strategy for future tech.
Rivian's ambitious two-year project to develop its own AI assistant is slated for an early 2026 debut. This intelligent system will be accessible across its entire lineup of existing electric vehicles, not just future models. Drivers and passengers will be able to leverage the AI for operating climate controls and other infotainment system tasks.
The AI assistant's capabilities extend to integrating vehicle systems with third-party apps, utilizing an agentic framework developed by Rivian engineers. Google Calendar is confirmed as the initial third-party integration. This approach, powered by Google Vertex AI and Gemini, aims to provide grounded data, natural conversation, and reasoning.
This initiative underscores Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe's commitment to vertical integration, a strategy also evident in the company's development of custom hardware, including a new 5nm processor. The AI assistant, built on Rivian Unified Intelligence (RUI), represents a significant step in creating a deeply integrated digital ecosystem for enhanced vehicle diagnostics and user experiences.
