Introduction Of Rivian
Electric vehicle maker Rivian has appointed Aidan Gomez, the CEO and co-founder of generative AI company Cohere, to its board of directors — a move that highlights the automaker’s growing commitment to artificial intelligence. The announcement was made via a recent regulatory filing, which also confirmed that the board was expanded to make room for Gomez. His term is set to run through 2026.
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Gomez brings a deep background in AI research and enterprise software. In 2019, he co-founded Cohere alongside Nick Frosst and Ivan Zhang to develop foundational AI models tailored for business applications. Today, the Toronto-based startup powers generative AI tools for major clients like Oracle and Notion.
Before launching Cohere, Gomez worked as a researcher at Google Brain, where he collaborated with AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton. He is best known in the tech world as one of the authors behind the influential 2017 paper “Attention Is All You Need” — the foundational research that paved the way for today’s most powerful AI models, including transformers used in tools like ChatGPT.
His appointment comes at a pivotal moment for Rivian. In March, the company announced a $5.8 billion joint venture with Volkswagen Group aimed at co-developing next-generation automotive software. As part of the partnership, It will contribute its expertise in electrical architecture and license key intellectual property — with the potential to eventually commercialize the resulting technology beyond the two companies.
Separately, It has also been building its own AI assistant for in-vehicle use, a project that’s been underway since 2023. While that effort is independent of the Volkswagen collaboration, it further underscores Rivian’s belief that AI will play a major role in its future product offerings.
It CEO RJ Scaringe called Gomez’s appointment “a tremendous asset,” adding that his “thinking and expertise will support Rivian as we integrate new, cutting-edge technologies into our products, services, and manufacturing.”
As AI continues to reshape industries far beyond Silicon Valley, It latest move makes it clear: it wants to be at the forefront of that shift — not just as an EV maker, but as a leader in automotive software innovation.
