Rivian Appoints AI Expert Aidan Gomez to Board, Signaling Ambitious AI Plans in EV Industry

Rivian elects Cohere's CEO to its board in latest signal the EV maker is bullish on AI | TechCrunch

Aidan Gomez, the co-founder and CEO of generative AI startup Cohere, has joined the board of EV maker Rivian, according to a regulatory filing. The appointment is the latest sign that Rivian sees promises in applying AI to its own venture while positioning itself as a software leader -- and even provider -- within the automotive industry. Rivian increased the size of the board and elected Gomez, whose term will expire in 2026, according to the filing. Gomez has had a long career as a data scientist and AI expert. He launched Cohere in 2019 with co-founders Nick Frosst and Ivan Zhang with a focus on training AI foundation models for enterprises. The generative AI startup sells its services to companies such as Oracle and Notion. Prior to starting Cohere, Gomez was a researcher at Google Brain, the deep learning division at Google led by Nobel Prize winner Geoffrey Hinton. Gomez is also known for "Attention Is All You Need," a 2017 technical paper he co-authored that laid the foundation for many of the most capable generative AI models today. Gomez's skillset could be particularly useful for Rivian as the EV maker navigates a new $5.8 billion joint venture with Volkswagen Group to develop software. Under the joint venture, Rivian will share its electrical architecture expertise with a Volkswagen Group -- including its many brands -- and is expected to license existing intellectual property rights to the joint venture. It's possible the joint venture will sell its tech to other companies in the future. Rivian has also been working on an AI assistant for its EVs since 2023, Rivian's chief software officer, Wassym Bensaid, told TechCrunch during an interview in March. The AI work, which is specifically on the orchestration layer or framework for an AI assistant, sits outside the joint venture with VW, Bensaid said at the time. Gomez's expertise in AI and as a data scientist is clearly attractive to Rivian founder and CEO RJ Scaringe, who noted in a statement that his "thinking and expertise will support Rivian as we integrate new, cutting-edge technologies into our products, services and manufacturing."

Is Rivian Going Big on AI? A New Board Member Suggests Ambitious Plans

According to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Gomez will serve in the position until 2026. Gomez brings substantial expertise in AI to Rivian's board. He kicked off his career working as a researcher at Google, where at just 20 years old, he co-authored a seminal paper on a new deep learning architecture that Time notes fundamentally changed the AI industry. He went on to cofound Cohere to help enterprises use generative AI in applications such as chatbots and search engines. Cohere boasts backing from AMD, Nvidia, Oracle, and Salesforce and a valuation of $5.5 billion as of its latest funding round last July. Exactly how Gomez's expertise might help Rivian isn't clear, but the announcement does come on the heels of a $5.8 billion joint venture Rivian formed with Volkswagen to accelerate the development of EV software and reduce the cost of the vehicles. The joint venture builds on the software and electrical architecture of Rivian, with the company expected to license out its intellectual property to the joint venture. Although both companies expressed the intention of developing vehicles based on the technology that comes out of the venture, TechCrunch reported they may also sell its technology to other companies.

Rivian's Board Welcomes an A.I. CEO Amid Push to Autonomous Driving

The EV-maker has appointed Cohere CEO Aiden Gomez to its board as it doubles down on areas like autonomous driving. Rivian might be best known for its sleek, luxurious electric vehicles, but but the Irvine, Calif.-based company is also pushing ahead in autonomous driving and A.I. innovation. In a sign to further expand its A.I. ambitions, Rivian has appointed Aidan Gomez, CEO of the startup Cohere, to its board. Sign Up For Our Daily Newsletter Sign Up Thank you for signing up! By clicking submit, you agree to our <a href="http://observermedia.com/terms">terms of service</a> and acknowledge we may use your information to send you emails, product samples, and promotions on this website and other properties. You can opt out anytime. See all of our newsletters "In this pivotal moment, Rivian is the best positioned to become the global leader in automotive and manufacturing A.I., and I am eager to support the company in realizing that," Gomez said in a statement. His stint on the board, which also includes former executives of Patagonia and Waymo, will run through 2026, according to a regulatory filing. Gomez is an A.I. expert who formerly worked at Google under the renowned A.I. researcher Geoffrey Hinton and notably co-authored the seminal paper, "Attention is All You Need," which introduced transformer-based models. In 2019, he co-founded Cohere with fellow ex-Google researchers Nick Frosst and Ivan Zhang. The startup builds custom A.I. models for enterprise clients and was most recently valued at $5.5 billion. Gomez's leadership and expertise in A.I. will aid Rivian as it integrates "new, cutting-edge technologies" into its products and services, said Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe in a statement. In addition to manufacturing the R1T pickup and R1S SUV, Rivian develops most of its software in-house, which is also used by other automakers. Last year, it signed a $5.8 billion deal with Volkswagen (VWAPY) Group to provide software and next-generation electrical architecture for VW's electric vehicles. Recent Rivian models feature the A.I.-driven Rivian Autonomy Platform, which enables autonomous driving capabilities via software updates. Earlier this year, the company released an update allowing drivers to remove their hands from the wheel while on highways. Future updates will expand these capabilities to allow Rivian customers to decide whether they want to drive or have their cars drive themselves. Speaking at SXSW last month, Scaringe said about 20 percent of miles driven in Rivians are currently autonomous, adding, "It's not going to be long before we go from 20 percent to 60, 70, 80 percent." Beyond autonomy and large language models, Gomez will also advise on A.I.-powered manufacturing, he said in a LinkedIn post. Rivian already uses A.I. in its production lines to improve efficiency, but Scaringe noted the technology will eventually help lower costs and scale production. "These are just the beginnings of how A.I. is going to really change the way we run our businesses," he said at SXSW.

Tesla Rival Rivian Taps AI Expert Aidan Gomez To Drive Innovation - Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ:RIVN)

On Tuesday, Rivian Automotive, Inc RIVN announced that the board has elected Aidan Gomez as a member. Coherent Corp COHR co-founder and CEO Gomez is a professional data scientist and Artificial Intelligence expert. Rivian founder and chief RJ Scaringe highlighted Gomez's proven leadership in the rapidly evolving AI industry and expects him to support Rivian as it integrates new, advanced technologies into its products, services, and manufacturing. Also Read: Rivian's Strong Deliveries, R2 Line Plans And VW JV Expansion Drive Analyst Optimism Before founding Cohere, Gomez was a Researcher at Alphabet Inc GOOG GOOGL Google, working under Nobel laureate Geoffrey Hinton in its deep learning division, Google Brain. Gomez has a BS from the University of Toronto and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Oxford. Rivian Automotive stock fell 16% year-to-date as multiple Wall Street analysts slashed their price targets, including two analyst rating downgrades following dismal 2025 vehicle delivery guidance. Rivian produced 14,611 vehicles and delivered 8,640 in the first quarter. The first-quarter delivery marked a 36.4% decrease, while production increased 4.5% year over year. The results aligned with the company's earlier projections of around 14,000 vehicles produced and approximately 8,000 delivered. Additionally, Rivian reaffirmed its full-year 2025 delivery guidance, maintaining its estimate of shipping between 46,000 and 51,000 vehicles, lagging the 51,579 deliveries reported in 2024. Rivian's R2 model looks to take on Tesla Inc's TSLA best-selling Model Y SUV, which will likely begin production in the first half of 2026. Rivian will likely face a smaller impact from President Donald Trump's tariffs due to its relatively lower dependence on imports. To stimulate domestic production, President Trump announced a 25% tariff on auto imports. Price Action: RIVN stock is up 3.45% at $11.54 at the last check on Tuesday. Next Read: Toyota Eyes US Assembly Of RAV4 In Kentucky As A Shield Against Trump's Tariffs Photo Courtesy: Michael Berlfein Shutterstock RIVNRivian Automotive Inc$11.523.27%Stock Score Locked: Want to See it? Benzinga Rankings give you vital metrics on any stock - anytime. Reveal Full ScoreEdge RankingsMomentum88.91Growth97.45Quality-Value65.79Price TrendShortMediumLongOverviewCOHRCoherent Corp$55.386.25%GOOGAlphabet Inc$153.352.33%GOOGLAlphabet Inc$150.922.20%TSLATesla Inc$238.024.62%Got Questions? AskHow will Aidan Gomez's expertise impact Rivian?Which AI technologies can enhance Rivian's manufacturing?What effect will Rivian's new model have on Tesla's market share?Which automakers might benefit from reduced tariffs?How could Rivian's stock rebound after analyst downgrades?What implications does Rivian's 2025 delivery guidance have for investors?Which suppliers could be affected by Rivian's production plans?How might domestic production strategies shift in the EV market?Which investments could benefit from Rivian's AI integration?How does Rivian's performance compare to industry trends this year?Powered ByMarket News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs