Rivian's Chief Software Officer, Wassym Bensaid, discusses the company's software strategy, including the new Rivian assistant, the joint venture with Volkswagen (RV Tech), and the company's vision for an AI-defined vehicle future. He argues that CarPlay and traditional buttons are becoming obsolete as voice assistants and agentic AI integrations offer deeper, more seamless in-car experiences.
Summarized by Podsumo
Wassym Bensaid is both Chief Software Officer at Rivian and Co-CEO of RV Tech, a joint venture with Volkswagen to build a new zonal electrical architecture and operating system for future EVs.
The Rivian assistant, powered by a combination of edge-based small language models and cloud-based large models (Google Gemini), is designed to be the primary interface, capable of controlling vehicle functions and integrating with personal digital ecosystems via agentic frameworks.
Bensaid reveals that customer demand for CarPlay in Rivians has plummeted from over 70% five years ago to less than 25% today, as the company's own integrated software and AI features prove more compelling.
The R2 will feature up to 200 sparse TOPS of local AI compute, enabling faster response times and reduced reliance on cloud connectivity for the assistant.
The joint venture with Volkswagen, which started with ~800 Rivian developers, aims to scale Rivian's software culture and technology across Volkswagen's vast portfolio, preserving agility and rapid iteration.
Bensaid asserts that voice will become the primary interface in cars, reducing the need for physical buttons, though safety-related functions are intentionally blocked from voice control.
"I can't tell you why I can't do these things. But here's where the button is, which is really interesting for an assistant at CardoDue. It's that I'm not going to do it for you, but the button is on the stock, push the button. — Wassym Bensaid (paraphrasing the assistant's behavior)"
"We have now the opportunity with all the authentic framework so that we truly can get people their time back in the car. — Wassym Bensaid"
"The number one request from customers was CarPlay... In the recent survey, that number is less than 25% now because with the level of features that we have. — Wassym Bensaid"