Q&A: Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe on how AI will transform autos Park City, Utah – If the early 20th-century auto revolution was sparked in Detroit by entrepreneurs like Ford, Dodge, and Sloan, the early 21st century has brought a new, digital auto revolution on America’s West Coast right out of a science fiction novel. At its forefront are entrepreneurs like Sergei Brin of Google, Tesla’s Elon Musk, and Rivian’s RJ Scaringe. “I think it's the most exciting time in human history,” Scaringe said at the media launch of his Tesla Model Y fighter, the electric R2, in Utah’s Wasatch Mountains. “We happen to be alive at this moment in human history, where we are creating intelligence that can do tasks humans can do.” With rapid advancements in artificial intelligence, computer chips, and electronics, these entrepreneurs envision a robot-driven future that will not only transform the automobile, but also the workplace in which they are made. “There's going to be thousands of people collaborating alongside these robots,” Scaringe said. “They're going to take a picture: ‘Hey, check this out. My coworker's name is Phil, and he's a robot.’” Brin pioneered the Waymo robot car ferrying passengers on U.S. streets. Musk brought point-to-point hands-free driving to his Tesla model lineup and is transforming his factories to build humanoid robots. Scaringe, who has raised over a billion dollars for his company, Mind Robotics, said robotics is transforming Rivian. Not only will the R2 drive itself, but an AI-driven revolution is at our doorstep. Detroit News auto columnist Henry Payne sat down with Scaringe and other media representatives at a recent roundtable to discuss. Detroit News: You started a robotics company? Scaringe: Yes. The company was formed late last year ... focused on developing extremely capable robots with human-like skills to do manufacturing. We've