Rivian Rolls Out AI-Powered In-Vehicle Voice Assistant with Latest Software Update

Rivian is rolling out its AI-powered in-vehicle voice assistant with the automaker's latest software update. It will be available to all Rivian Gen 1 and Gen 2 owners paying for the company's Connect+ cellular subscription service, which costs $15 a month or $150 a year, or are in the middle of an active trial. The assistant will also be available on Rivian's upcoming R2 mid-size electric SUV that has recently started production. Rivian is expected to make the first deliveries of the R2 EV's most expensive variant later this spring and to offer its $45,000 base model in 2027. The automaker first announced Rivian Assistant at its inaugural Autonomy and AI day in December 2025, where it said that the assistant will "orchestrate different models and choose the best one for the task." Rivian is calling this multi-modal AI foundation "Rivian Unified Intelligence." It understands the products and operations as one continuous system and learns from users to deliver a personalized driving experience. Assistant saves any learned personal context to specific driver profiles, so it doesn't get information between multiple users in one household confused. To summon Assistant, users will only have to say "Hey, Rivian" or press the left steering wheel button. Rivian says its Assistant, which is built directly into its system, gives users direct control over hardware that other phone-mirrored assistants can't do. It can understand natural language, so drivers don't have to memorize commands. If a user asks it to make everyone's seat "toasty" except theirs, it will turn up heating for the passengers' seats. It can change drive modes, adjust ride height, open the front trunk, adjust the climate and check the EV's other features hands-free. Drivers can ask Assistant for directions, for specific locations in the map and to identify media for them, such as looking up a song's name or when it came out. The Assistant can also read texts, summarize them for the user and draft texts for them, as well as summarize local news or tell them the weather. Users can ask it general questions and for troubleshooting help, as well, such as for instructions on how to change their vehicle's tires. Rivian Assistant will also be able to link with third-party apps and tools. Its first third-party integration is with Google Calendar, allowing users to ask Assistant to check and even manage their appointments and meetings without having to access the app itself. Take note, however, that Assistant can only understand English and will only respond to commands and questions in the language.