Rivian Appoints Cohere CEO Aidan Gomez to Board, Signaling Strong AI Focus

Rivian Elects Cohere’s CEO to its Board in Latest Signal the EV Maker is Bullish on AI

Rivian, the electric vehicle manufacturer, has elected Aidan Gomez, co-founder and CEO of generative AI startup Cohere, to its board of directors, according to a recent regulatory filing. This move underscores Rivian’s growing interest in leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance its products, services, and manufacturing processes.

The addition of Gomez expands the board’s size, with his term set to expire in 2026. His deep expertise in AI and machine learning is expected to provide valuable insights as Rivian navigates its evolving technological landscape.

Aidan Gomez brings a wealth of experience in the AI field. Before establishing Cohere in 2019, alongside Nick Frosst and Ivan Zhang, he was a researcher at Google Brain, Google’s deep learning division, under the guidance of Geoffrey Hinton. Cohere focuses on developing AI foundation models for enterprise applications, serving clients like Oracle and Notion.

Gomez is also recognized for his contributions to the groundbreaking 2017 paper, “Attention Is All You Need,” which laid the groundwork for many of today’s advanced generative AI models. His technical acumen positions him as a key advisor as Rivian integrates AI into various aspects of its operations.

This appointment comes at a pivotal time for Rivian, as it embarks on a $5 billion joint venture with Volkswagen Group to co-develop software. Under this partnership, Rivian will share its electrical architecture expertise with Volkswagen and its brands, while also licensing intellectual property to the joint venture. Gomez’s expertise will be invaluable as Rivian contributes to and potentially commercializes its technology.

Rivian has been actively developing an AI assistant for its vehicles since 2023. According to Rivian’s chief software officer, Wassym Bensaid, this project is separate from the joint venture with VW and focuses on the orchestration layer for the AI assistant.

RJ Scaringe, Rivian’s founder and CEO, emphasized the significance of Gomez’s appointment, stating that his “thinking and expertise will support Rivian as we integrate new, cutting-edge technologies into our products, services, and manufacturing.”