Why Rivian is ignoring Android Auto for a solution that might not work

Rivian's Chief Software Officer, Wassym Bensaid, has revealed why his company's cars will never integrate Android Auto or Apple's CarPlay, and the answer is as tiring as it is predictable: AI.

Speaking to The Verge's Decoder podcast, Bensaid said Rivian has no plans to adopt either of the two top mobile mirroring operating systems, and is instead putting all of its ducks into an AI-powered solution.

Rivian is relying on a magic bullet

Rivian has been holding out on implementing Android Auto and CarPlay for a long time now, and they're certainly not alone in doing so. A number of manufacturers have either never offered either, or have backed away from support recently in favor of working out a joint effort.

Now, we know more-or-less what Rivian is planning. According to Bensaid's words on the podcast, Rivian is instead working on a system that uses AI to recreate many of the same features we've come to love on traditional smartphone-mirroring apps like Android Auto.

This would take the form of a dedicated AI assistant that would, presumably, play music through various services, and use navigation data to take you to your destination.

He also made the argument that Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are too invasive, which is a pretty good point. As things stand, Apple and Google currently get the data gleaned from a car's journey and the apps used — and that's data that car companies would much rather keep for themselves.

However, is this really the right way forward? Services like Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are popular because they work. The two of them have effectively killed off the old infotainment system, where car manufacturers would create their own operating systems for the car. Bug-ridden, barely updated, and lacking in features, these systems are happily in the rear-view mirror now.

Returning to those days might not be the best choice, and the decision seems to be fueled by the idea that AI will function as a magic bullet and solve all of those previous problems. But it seems more likely that AI, prone to its own problems, may not be the salve Rivian is hoping for.

As useful as AI can be for a number of tasks, it is prone to hallucinations, and it makes as many mistakes as it does successes. Relying on it to replace a reliable software experience like Android Auto may be asking too much of any in-house AI assistant.

However, if it works, we could all end up with our own Kit from Knight Rider in our cars. And that's a future worth gambling on.