Rivian, the electric vehicle manufacturer, is introducing its AI-powered voice assistant to its fleet of vehicles starting today. This new feature will be available to all compatible Rivian Gen 1 and Gen 2 vehicle owners who subscribe to the company’s Connect Plus cellular service. This service is priced at $15 a month or $150 a year, or is accessible to those in an active trial period.
The Rivian Assistant was first unveiled at last year’s AI and Autonomy Day and is powered by Rivian Unified Intelligence, a shared AI foundation integrated throughout the company. This voice assistant is deeply integrated into the vehicle’s operations and can also interact with third-party apps like Google Calendar. Rivian has mentioned that the assistant is developed in-house but is enhanced by third-party models for data accuracy, natural conversation, and advanced reasoning capabilities.
Having had the opportunity to test an early version of the Rivian Assistant last year, I found its capabilities to be quite impressive. While it may have been slightly slow in responding to queries, the assistant showcased a wide range of functions. Users can activate the assistant by using the scroll wheel on the steering wheel or by simply saying “Hey Rivian.” During a demonstration, the assistant was able to read and modify upcoming events in Google Calendar, such as rescheduling meetings.
Rivian has provided several examples of how owners can interact with the assistant, including asking about river depths, viewing the truck’s bed camera, or combining travel distance with sunset timings. The assistant can also understand casual statements, like finding a nearby car wash when the user says they “need to get cleaned up on the way home.”
Unlike other car manufacturers, Rivian does not support popular phone projection systems like Android Auto or Apple CarPlay. Instead, Rivian prefers to develop these features internally to allow the AI assistant to directly control core functions like HVAC, drive mode selection, and battery conditioning. While Rivian vehicles run on Android Automotive’s operating system, owners need to independently connect their apps such as Spotify, Apple Music, and Google Calendar to access these services through the assistant.
By integrating their apps and services, Rivian owners can utilize the assistant to send text messages, search for specific details within messages, and ask general knowledge questions about the weather or news headlines. This innovative AI-powered voice assistant enhances the overall driving experience for Rivian owners, providing advanced functionality and seamless integration within their vehicles.