Rivian's Head Of Software Thinks CarPlay And Android Auto Will Be Replaced With AI Agents You Talk To And I Think That's Stupid
Posted by Staghorn_Calculus@reddit | cars | View on Reddit | 118 comments
Even-Promotion-4024@reddit
Honestly, the biggest thing holding me back from EV adoption (aside from fun factor) is the fact that companies are refusing to make dumb ones for the US market. Like is mechanical doorhandles, no weird lane-keep assist nannies, and no native AI integration too much to ask for in an otherwise competitive package?
whatdoido8383@reddit
New cars are so fucking dumb. I'm not even interested in new cars anymore because the stupid tech they're integrating into them while enshittifying the rest of the car. Driver monitoring, parking assist, and all the other stupid stuff is just stupid.
UnnamedStaplesDrone@reddit
i love it when cars i drive are constantly beeping and yelling at me personally.
billy_the_car@reddit
I truly still wanted a Rivian until this mf started running his mouth.
MasterK999@reddit
It will for some people but it will be part of Android Auto and CarPlay. Because people want to use the apps from their phone where everything is integrated instead of having yet a third tech interface to deal with.
I would love to see a car company deal with the reality that Android Auto and CarPlay are what people want and stop spending tons of money on their custom systems.
TiaXhosa@reddit
CarPlay already has google Gemini integration
MasterK999@reddit
I know. That was my point. Why would Rivian spend the money to create their own when Google is going to beat them in AI all day long.
Familiar-Ad-4700@reddit
Orrrr, don't use your phone while you're driving and it doesn't really matter. Other than music, what are you even doing with it?
AccurateArcherfish@reddit
Maps
Familiar-Ad-4700@reddit
What vehicles don't have built in gps and maps in 2026?
kicksledkid@reddit
Except my Toyota infotainment doesn't have live traffic and hazard alerts like maps and waze do.
Familiar-Ad-4700@reddit
And you plug in you destination every single time?
I also do this, but on board my vehicle which also does not have any other those things anymore. (Paid subscription only) But I don't have any issues seeing traffic and knowing how to go around in areas I'm familiar with.
CallLivesMatter@reddit
I know my destination because I travel it every day. What I don’t know is what traffic is like, if there’s road crew that closed a lane ahead, or where the police are sitting. Waze largely solves that problem. Know how I access Waze? My phone.
Familiar-Ad-4700@reddit
Crazy, I also access apps on my phone with my phone. Not android auto or apple carplay.
munoodle@reddit
You’re really doubling down on your unpopular person opinion when you could simply accept that it is clear a majority of people disagree with you
Familiar-Ad-4700@reddit
It's called an opinion. I actually am able to have my own, unlike some people. And yes I'll double, triple even whatever fucking number you want down on it.
Apple and Google want your data. It is not a free service. Your data is the payment you make to use the service. And since you all give them access to everything for the car features, they have access to everything. Not worth it IN MY OPINION.
renesys@reddit
Car companies are selling your data if you're using their services. Shit argument.
Familiar-Ad-4700@reddit
I don't give the car access to my entire phone. So, as you say, "shit argument".
uber_neutrino@reddit
I always run Wave. It shows traffic and it shows cops. I like being situationally aware of what's going on when we are on the road.
Car infotainment systems are fucking garbage and need to die yesterday.
NattyB0h@reddit
Some of us go to areas we're not familiar with
Mytre-@reddit
He is just a auto subscription fan.
Now a days if you have android auto or carplay and commute. The advantage of having a phone with you all the times that then mirrors to the car is amazing. It knows your destination, shows you estimates and weather and traffic , your music is now playing and if you are parked you can even play games :) . And you dont have to pay monthly for these features or deal with slow hardware because your phone is a lot faster than the infotainment . I would ignore this guy who seems to shill for auto makers and then pushing their own software which they will barely support for a year or 2 .
Familiar-Ad-4700@reddit
Ha, you have no idea how few places I go that im familiar with.
kicksledkid@reddit
You know waze is handy even when you don't put in a destination, right
Like you look at the map and go "oh fuck, that street I normally take is closed, better take the scenic route"
Before you have to pull a uturn.
doubletwist@reddit
What vehicles have maps and nav that don't suck balls and let you use the map/nav software that YOU like? And let you connect in one easy step when you rent a car and instantly have that same software and all your music/nav/other settings when you rent a car?
Familiar-Ad-4700@reddit
Every time I shoot myself in the foot...it hurts. Cool story.
renesys@reddit
No one is trying to use the broke ass GPS built into a car. 2005 era technology.
Familiar-Ad-4700@reddit
I mean, sure. Don't use the gps in your 2005 shit box. Even then, use your phone directly for gps over android auto. Doubt your 2" screen would even support it.
viperabyss@reddit
Lexus.
Familiar-Ad-4700@reddit
Wait, seriously?! Like no gps at all, or it's locked behind a subscription service?
2BlueZebras@reddit
My 2024 Ford map is a subscription service. AA is free.
K_R_A_K_E_N_540@reddit
The only built in navigation system that is usable is Tesla's nav. Everything else might as well be from the stone age. Yes, including 2026 BMWs
Familiar-Ad-4700@reddit
Well, I don't have a bmw and definitely will never have a Tesla. And yet I'm able to use my gps fine.
Hrmerder@reddit
I’m happy for that for you…. You aren’t everyone else.
Also good luck paying your subscription for it once the free version cuts off
ImALime11@reddit
Sometimes I go places I am unfamiliar with and need navigation.
Familiar-Ad-4700@reddit
And you need your phone for that? Or are you just not familiar with your cars gps
ImALime11@reddit
Why would I use an objectively worse map that doesn't have live traffic?
Independent_Syllabub@reddit
Have you ever used it? Dumb take
Familiar-Ad-4700@reddit
What? Carplay and android auto? Yes. But I don't choose to use it because there is no reason to. I use the on board gps so my HUD works. And I have an old phone running Spotify. No need for my currently used personal phone to do anything in the car.
renesys@reddit
Most dashes and HUDs integrate with AA/AC map directions. More shit arguments.
Familiar-Ad-4700@reddit
Ok big guy. You are a winner and everyone cares about you. You make such great arguments no one can possibly imagine how smart you are.
My HUD does not integrate with Apple or Google. Nor would I care if it did.
alex-andrite@reddit
Except you still use a phone for music, just not your primary phone. wtf kind of argument is that
Built in gps is trash too
Familiar-Ad-4700@reddit
Neither of which are using android auto or apple car play. That's the point of the conversation. Sorry you need help being able to play music?
alex-andrite@reddit
This is bait right
4InchesOfury@reddit
Main thing is probably having the same experience from your preferred map app. I want to use Google or Apple Maps, not their shitty GPS app.
Having your preferred music app and all its features available is a big one too.
Familiar-Ad-4700@reddit
I mean, apple maps was so shitty I forgot it existed. But that still doesn't require you to use android auto or apple maps to see gps or play music? I think most people don't know they are just a way to collect data.
4InchesOfury@reddit
The built in GPS systems from every manufacturer are much worse than Google and Apple Maps for myself and many people. Not just interface but by not having the same routing or traffic data.
For music apps I want more controls beyond the basic playing next song. Playlist and radio navigation, generated playlists, etc.
I don’t want to be holding my phone, I want to use this through the cars infotainment.
Familiar-Ad-4700@reddit
I guess the holding the phone part is why most people care. I'm not from a state that cares if you touch your phone while you drive like some. So maybe that's it...but still isn't that just new jersey and maybe one or 2 others.
4InchesOfury@reddit
According to a quick google search it’s 33 states
Familiar-Ad-4700@reddit
Damn, that all require hands free?!
4InchesOfury@reddit
Based on some quick research yeah
https://www.ghsa.org/state-laws-issues/distracted-driving
T-Baaller@reddit
was being the key word.
For a lot of regions it got better in less time than it takes for a car's built-in maps to become out-of-date and need new maps the dealer charges more than many cell phones for.
enaK66@reddit
I think they'd rather spend the money on new tech than old tech. They want to engineer the entire car into the dash iPad. HVAC, lights, diagnostics, all must be controlled by a screen. Fuck designing knobs and switches and actual dashboard.
Bobmcjoepants@reddit
I don't think it'll ever happen where they won't have their own system as there are many times that people don't want to use AA/ACP, whether that be due to the drain of the battery or not wanting to plug in
Forcing someone to make a choice they may not want to isn't a great decision either, and can absolutely make a difference between buying and not buying. That being said, make it wireless by default holy shit
Time-Maintenance2165@reddit
That's solved by wireless connection and charging with where you place your phone.
Low-Buffalo-6570@reddit
Its all bubble that eventually gonna burst
raybandit32@reddit
Can’t come soon enough!
8N-QTTRO@reddit
My dad's Samsung phone seemingly switched from a traditional voice assistant to an AI model. He doesn't know how to change it back, and every time he asks it to do anything, it's an absolute PITA.
Gr8WallofChinatown@reddit
Rivian is not gonna survive esp post bubble. It makes no money and is run by tech morons. And the cars are overpriced without being superior.
It’s stock is dead too
icecream_specialist@reddit
I don't want to talk to my car. Just give me a button.
Gr8WallofChinatown@reddit
I hate using apps to use a car. I’d fucking hate to use an ai chat bit even more
Superunknown_7@reddit
Carmakers have been chasing this shit literally for decades. They have some weird preoccupation with making voice controls a thing.
kon---@reddit
Because KITT talked. That's why.
Bacon_00@reddit
For real. All these tech suites act like talking is the purest, great form of communication. It's not. A button can be incredibly more efficient to communicate user intent. English can be very imprecise and computers don't pick up on tone, body language, facial expressions, and everything else humans do to augment talking.
They'll figure it out when the money doesn't come. Just like with VR, it turns out a controller with buttons is actually better at telling a game what you want to do than swinging your arms around.
99hotdogs@reddit
Remember when products were designed around customer needs rather than forcing business models down customers’ throats that primarily benefits the company? Pepperidge Farm remembers.
B00marangTrotter@reddit
Now we (the customer) are the product.
It's funny how all these companies are going all in on AI, and at the same time everything AI customer facing is immediately rejected.
Which car company is actually going to listen and stop the enshitification?
nismotigerwvu@reddit
The strangest aspect of this to me is that AI is REALLY expensive. Usually bean counters want to cut as many corners as they can, but for some reason they are convinced that these giant data centers that consume as much water and electricity as a decently sized metro area and are full of cutting edge chips (literally floor to ceiling silicon/PCBs) are the best idea. Take this article for example, they could punt on the hardware almost completely and tell the users to just connect their phones (literally provide the compute themselves) and they are bending over backwards to take the most absurdly expensive route.
TiaXhosa@reddit
New tech is always expensive. They are banking in part on massive cost decreases over the next decade.
CorrectCombination11@reddit
It's easier for me to talk to my car to tune to a specific radio station than to tip-tap my way there from the carplay screen.
Do I like that I have to do it? No. Do I get used to it? Yes. Will I pay a subscription for it? No. How long will I keep my car? Until 2040.
kon---@reddit
It's easier to push a button one time than it is to enter voice then give it a task to perform.
TiaXhosa@reddit
Sure but if I want to play a specific album while I'm driving down the interstate, I probably am not going to be able to do that without pushing a lot of buttons. There is an appropriate use case for voice controls and an appropriate one for buttons. A lot of people in this thread are acting like buttons always outperform voice controls which is not true.
frostysauce@reddit
They'll just make it always listening. But don't worry, they'll only share conversations with their 137 trusted partners. And one is Palantir.
I_Am_Mandark_Hahaha@reddit
Call me crazy but I'm seriously thinking of buying a 1967 Mustang right now. Or a nicely restored FJ40 Land Cruiser. Zeri tech, Zero connectivity to big brother web and ai.
Appropriate_Lemon921@reddit
The only technology my car has is SiriusXM and a 6 CD changer. I love it. I hope I’m still daily driving it in 30 years when I hit retirement age. Whatever repairs I have to make I’ll make just to avoid buying some EV AI-powered iPad on wheels.
Bonerchill@reddit
This is the way.
Reject modernity. Put a cat on your properly tuned vintage vehicle, though- local emissions cause local problems.
WonderWeasel91@reddit
They're probably not wrong in their thinking, because that's the way a lot of software companies are planning for the future. It's slowly happening in most business software, and it's not as bad as it used to be.
The idea is that you'll need minimal UI for navigation or other actions inside a lot of software, because you could simply just tell an AI agent to look up and/or modify XYZ instead.
Those of you who've only worked with consumer-level AI likely haven't seen just how capable certain ones actually are when you give them the tools they need.
I, for one, hope they at least keep the option for manual interfacing for Carplay and Android Auto. If they do pursue this, I hope AI assistants are better integrated into OSs in the future because right now Gemini is absolute incompetent ass and I would rather have my old Google assistant back.
It'd be one thing if I could ask it to find messages from certain contacts and read them to me or have it text a group chat while I'm driving, but right now it can't even do those things. At this stage I barely trust Gemini to correctly punctuate a text message, much less adjust my fucking AC in the car.
swingfire23@reddit
This is the only sensible take I’m seeing here so far. I dislike AI being forced on me as much as the rest of us but I’m not going to pretend that it doesn’t make sense if a well executed system allows me to tell my car what I want while staying attentive to actually driving. People in here are acting like it’s going to not work well, but I think the point is that once it DOES work well, it’s a pretty good solution.
But it doesn’t now, to your point. We’ll see, but I get the vision even if I’m skeptical.
aldsar@reddit
What car is going to have the processing power to run its own instance of an AI agent? Not one coming out anytime soon. So this will depend on a remote connection to servers in order to function and waste bandwidth for what gain? Android auto and car play work perfectly fine as they are currently without needing comparatively that much data sent remotely.
techtimee@reddit
Don't Teslas already run Grok? Is it OTA?
aldsar@reddit
TIL lol
renesys@reddit
It's a Twitter server bot.
techtimee@reddit
So OTA? Interesting. I thought it had to be installed and was a full blown application. But i guess it all needs internet connectivity, which is the whole point being argued.
orthancdweller@reddit
For what it’s worth, I think having an AI “agent” that’s seamlessly available in my driving experience, doesn’t matter where it’s hosted - phone or car, will be quite useful.
I can’t count the number of times I’ve been idly thinking about something on a boring highway drive and a shopping list item pops up in my head that I need to dump it into my usual shopping list before I forget. Particularly on longish drives I find myself thinking such topics as “oh I wonder how ceramic film tinting works”, then wish I could get the cliff notes version then and there, preferably without the painful experience that is Siri in CarPlay.
Recently, iOS released a feature that makes voice chat through ChatGPT and friends in CarPlay more capable, and I’ve actually used it a few times now, most recently this morning as I was driving back from the grocery store. The integration polish isn’t there yet, but I think it can get there.
I do think offloading basic car operations like climate and audio controls entirely to AI is too much - keep the simple things simple, but I also think a voice interface for the car as an add-on isn’t such a bad idea. And yes, the phone remaining the “brains” of the whole thing that you plug into dumb car receptacles seems the more sensible approach. Maybe the car could carry the hardware necessary to run local LLMs that the phone can then tap into as needed?
8N-QTTRO@reddit
"Hey Rivian, turn up the AC"
"Wow, that's a great idea. You're such a forward thinker, cutting through the noise to get ahead of the heat. On a similar topic, want me to add a McDonald's to your route so we can snag a nice, cold beverage?"
kon---@reddit
I dont want AI in the car and, I'm happy to leave the phone behind me.
frostysauce@reddit
I don't even like talking to people. Why the fuck would I want to talk to my car?
AmNoSuperSand52@reddit
I like Rivian. I think they make a product that is futuristic/forward thinking but goes with more of a hipster-REI vibe rather than the ‘dystopian blob’ EV trend. I also really like that they’re huge Porsche fans and spend a lot of time focusing on vehicle handling
But then there’s stuff like this where they seem hellbent on reminding us that they’re a tech-startup that needs to distance themselves from any legacy auto manufacturing thinking
Turbulent_Deal_3145@reddit
I will never allow my car to be connected to the internet. If there's some component that does it without my permission, I will find a way to remove that component.
FourEyesAndThighs@reddit
I saw this interview the other day and the biggest takeaway I had was how stupid he is about current CarPlay implementations. He said that CarPlay / AA take over ‘every pixel’ of the screen, leading to terrible interaction between the car’s native software and the screen casting from your device.
Absolutely not. In most cars, it runs within a window, with the native car functions still available outside of CarPlay. Things like infotainment settings, built in nav, etc. are still fully accessible. Look at Ford, Audi, Volvo, or BMW vehicles running CarPlay.
The only instance I have seen of CarPlay or AA taking over ‘every pixel’ is in older cars where the infotainment screens had functions that were rudimentary at best, at which point CarPlay / AA was the best option.
AdmiralZassman@reddit
They already have Gemini for AA and it's terrible. Much more efficient with it turned off
Appropriate_Lemon921@reddit
I may never buy a new car ever again.
fiero-fire@reddit
Stupid is an understatement. Just let me have a phone pass through system
FesteringNeonDistrac@reddit
All I want is my phone, on a bigger screen, and using the cars speakers.
That doesn't mine your data for the car company though.
WWJLPD@reddit
“We heard you were tired of features in your car being controlled by a touchscreen. Well, we have some great news! We found a way to make the experience even worse!”
p8ntballnxj@reddit
These fucking businesses idiots ruining more aspects of our lives.
the_421_Rob@reddit
I’d also prefer to use my phone for my car stereo vs paying (even if what they implement today is free the AI token cost will catch up) for some half baked AI. I can’t want for industry to figure out AI fatigue is real and people are over it. This really feels like 15 years ago when 3D was all the rage and it’s largely fallen by the wayside
fastbeemer@reddit
AI is closer to VR than anything. There will be a few rabid fans, a bunch that say it's cool, and the majority don't want it and don't care.
dstew74@reddit
Most of these comments are dumb. Rivian's dude understands where we're headed. I had a similar thought a month or so ago. Whatever "post-phone" looks like will embrace the integration.
Y'all better hold because the future is going to get weird.
hutacars@reddit
Thing is, a lot of actions are wrapped up in a button. Sometimes it’ll be easier to use words to state the actions you want, but other times it’ll be easier to press a button which encompasses all those actions— but these software assholes refuse to differentiate between the two. Saying “I have a bag in the trunk” and waiting for the car to process that command and hoping it does it right and opens the trunk is a fuck ton harder than pressing the Open Trunk button. Saying “plan a route to LA with a charging stop near an Italian restaurant” is easier than pressing all the buttons that would be required to do the same. I can see the utility in that scenario. But just because sometimes AI is useful, does not mean all commands should be AI, which is what they don’t seem to grasp.
And of course, to the article’s point, none of that actually needs to be done by the car, if they would only integrate phones properly.
Hrmerder@reddit
CEOs rn: “you don’t need food an ai agent will just fill your belly now”
Everyone else: Fuck off!
hutacars@reddit
Honestly I would love that… but it doesn’t need to be “AI.”
floppydo@reddit
"Rivian's head of software feels pressure to establish a visionary roadmap in a marketplace that only wants him to make sure his product runs someone else's software well."
hutacars@reddit
Seems when a traditional automaker tries to make an infotainment system, they hire third rate talent and end up with laggy, bug-riddled garbage. When a tech-focused automaker tries to make an infotainment system, they hire tech-bro talent who must make a name for themselves by cramming every latest technology in, customer experience be damned. Can no one hire a middle ground?
Morbidly_Off_Piste@reddit
Of course they'll be replaced by AI agents....Apple is working on the same thing, by the way. This isn't a Rivian thing, this is the state of where applications are going.
While Carplay is massively better than 98% of car UI's, it's still not perfect. Screen real estate is limited, touches have to be precise and quick which is hard to do while driving, and these two are at constant tension which leaves us with giant UI buttons that make it hard to show us a lot of content. (limiting how many songs/albums you can get to in Music is a perfect example)
We need more physical buttons back in cars to take care of the stuff we fiddle with the most. But for stuff like navigation, music, and a wide variety of other uses its just better to have an agent understand why you're in the car, what your music tastes are, who you are driving with, what's the weather like outside, etc and tee-up the best functions for 1-click access knowing all of those things.
When people think of AI in cars they assume we're talking about stupid shit like "hey Siri, turn my temp to 72 degrees" which is a really poor use case because its a lot better to just twist a knob to 72. The comments in here tell me people don't really understand what AI (should) be doing instead of the half-baked ideas that are in cars today.
uber_neutrino@reddit
No carplay, no purchase. Pretty simple for me.
hutacars@reddit
I was completely with him until the last paragraph:
No, most people would rather sit back and have the car (or Uber driver or whatever) drive for them. But indeed so they can focus more on doomscrolling or whatever on their phones, not to audibly interact with the car’s AI.
Upbeat-Armadillo1756@reddit
Tech higher ups not realizing that most people don’t have AI psychosis like them is one of the more frustrating trends of 2026.
Boggie135@reddit
Do these people not pay attention to the rest of the world?
UnusualLeadership408@reddit
Every time automakers say they'll kill CarPlay, it's really about selling subscriptions and harvesting data. Customers aren't fooled anymore.
executingsalesdaily@reddit
No one wants Ai….
Teddy2Sweaty@reddit
These are the dumb things C-Suite people have to say right now to keep the money coming in. All the VC money right is focused on AI. No AI, no funds.
ScienceMechEng_Lover@reddit
Jokes on them I already have a butler (my mother) that drives and takes me where I want to be.
x3nhydr4lutr1sx@reddit
Nobody wants to talk to their cars to do something. Make it read our minds instead.
byerss@reddit
After my recent car purchase I ended up on a market research participant with IPSOS for the auto industry.
Don’t worry guys, I am giving completely negative responses to shit like this, touchscreen only, etc.
mytzlplyk@reddit
Knight Industries Two Thousand would like a word
sorin_kryo@reddit
Come on baby pop
B00marangTrotter@reddit
I want less of this shit, not more of it, but guess what everything's gonna get.
Wonderful-Ring7697@reddit
In my head I imagine all these software engineer running around complaining about why they have building their code around some stupid machine. Then not computing why everyone is complaining about QC issues on the productions line
Signal_Ball4634@reddit
Stop this shit, cars connecting to your phone is simple and works. Cars don't need to operate like a whole PC, just need maps and music.