Rivian software boss says Dash button is a bug, not a bug

Carmakers are enthusiastic about touchscreens, but some drivers aren’t convinced. Opponents claim that too many new car features are now buried in touchscreens and they want physical buttons to make a comeback, which research shows are easier to use. But Rivian’s software boss thinks the button has become old news, calling it an “anomaly” at a recent technology conference.

Speaking at TechCrunch Disrupt, the electric car company’s chief software officer Wassym Bensaid fired back at those who want more old-school hard keys in car interiors.

Related: Has touchscreen technology gone too far? Euro NCAP thinks so

“This is a bug. This is not a feature,” TechCrunch According to Benside. “Ideally, you want to interact with your car via voice. The problem today is that most voice assistants are broken.”

This is something we at Carscoops can agree on. Even though almost every new car now comes with some kind of voice assistant, in our experience the chances of many cars understanding what you tell them are so hit and miss that it’s not worth the effort.

But Benside predicts that will change soon, and he’s talking about more than just the car being able to understand you when you ask it to turn down the climate control a few degrees or change the radio station on the infotainment system. Rivian’s goal, he said, is to make every function currently operated through a touch screen available through voice, even having your car recommend a restaurant when you’re hungry.

But there’s one technology Bensaid and Rivian don’t plan to offer just yet: Apple CarPlay. While he admitted the Rivian team was still debating the omission of CarPlay, he described using Apple’s system as “lazy” and believed Rivian could offer a “more refined, integrated experience” by developing its own technology and curated apps, such as Apple Music.

Is Bensaid right that improved voice AI is a better answer than a recovery button, or do you want both in your next new car?