Rivian is building its own AI assistant (techcrunch.com)

Rivian has been developing its own AI assistant for nearly two years, distinct from its extensive collaboration with Volkswagen. Set to potentially launch by the end of the year, the assistant will be discussed further during Rivian's upcoming AI and Autonomy day on December 11. This initiative is significant as it reflects the broader AI race across industries, where companies are striving to integrate advanced AI technologies into their products. Rivian’s AI assistant aims to go beyond typical chatbots by fully integrating into vehicle controls, offering a seamless interaction experience. The assistant’s architecture is designed to be model and platform agnostic, employing an "agentic framework" that allows various AI models to interact efficiently. Rivian's approach combines edge AI, which performs tasks locally on the vehicle, with cloud-based AI that relies on remote servers for more complex computations. The in-house development includes custom models and an orchestration layer, ensuring that different AI functionalities operate cohesively. Ultimately, Rivian is focused on building an AI assistant that enhances customer trust and engagement, laying the groundwork for future innovations in automation and passenger interaction.