Rivian’ Chief Software Officer Wassym Bensaid has opined that getting rid of physical buttons, dials and switches in car interiors is a carefully weighted and time-appropriate decision, despite all criticisms.
He said the idea of accessing in-car functions with hardware buttons is “abnormal” by design, but admitted that touchscreens probably aren’t the ideal solution, either.
What’s the best way to proceed, then? According to Bensaid, AI-powered voice control is the best there can be. To this end, Rivian will endeavor to make every single in-car feature fully accessible and usable with voice commands alone, so that drivers may focus on the road and never take their hands off the wheel.