Rivian said on Monday that Aidan Gomez, co-founder and CEO of AI startup Cohere and a former Google Researcher, has joined its board of directors (BoD). Gomez becomes the eighth member of Rivian’s board, which includes the EV maker’s founder and CEO RJ Scaringe, who serves as chairman.
The chief executive said on Monday that the data scientist and AI expert “has demonstrated exceptional leadership in the rapidly evolving AI industry” adding that his expertise will “support Rivian as we integrate new, cutting-edge technologies into our products, services and manufacturing.”
In a statement, Cohere’s chief named Rivian “the best positioned to become the global leader in automotive and manufacturing AI.”
Cohere describes itself as a company that “empowers every developer and enterprise to build amazing products and capture true business value with language AI” — a statement on its website reads.
Over the weekend, Rivian‘s software chief Wassym Bensaid said the company is working on an integration with the Apple Watch that will allow users to control and monitor their vehicles directly from their wrists.
Bensaid commented on Sunday on a Reddit post where a Rivian Gen-2 owner named the infotainment lag as “ridiculous” and “embarassing” guaranteeing the team is working on the issues.
“Agree. UI performance is not where it should be,” Rivian’s Software chief stated. “There’s a compound set of issues from some apps that are affecting the overall behavior. We’re working on it and will get it addressed.”
Earlier this month, Rivian released a software update focused on improving ride comfort in its R1 Gen 1 and Gen 2 vehicles. The update uses what the company described as “intelligent algorithms” to better analyze sensor data and adapt to uneven terrain.
Rivian produced 14,611 vehicles and delivered 8,640 in the first quarter of 2024, slightly ahead of the company’s prior guidance. U.S. sales totaled 11,070 units during the quarter, down 26.6% from a year earlier, according to data from Motor Intelligence.
Rivian shares fell nearly 4% on Monday closing at $11.15. The stock is down about 16% so far this year.
