Waymo has put Google’s Gemini inside the cabin of its Ojai robotaxi, giving riders a voice assistant that handles climate settings, trip information, and general questions across the vehicle’s three screens. The company paired the assistant with an all-new in-car interface, which it describes as the first major design update to the rider display in years. Both features arrive as Waymo prepares to open the Ojai to more public riders, with Gemini in Waymo launching in beta. The Ojai, which began carrying its first public riders earlier this year, was built specifically for ride-hailing rather than adapted from a consumer vehicle.
Highlights
- Gemini in Waymo runs on Gemini’s live assistant, supporting natural conversation rather than a fixed command set, and is activated by pressing a Gemini icon on the screen.
- The assistant is walled off from the driving stack. Riders can request a pullover by voice, but Waymo says Gemini does not otherwise control vehicle movement or routing and has no access to real-time driving data.
- A choreographed tri-screen interface varies content by seat occupancy instead of mirroring the same view across all three displays.
- Calm Mode dims the screen and reduces the display to minimal trip information.
What Can Riders Ask Gemini in Waymo?
According to Waymo, the assistant covers cabin controls, journey information, what the company calls Waymo education, and everyday knowledge queries. The examples Waymo offers are practical rather than exotic: telling the assistant to turn the air conditioning down to 65, asking for the best coffee shop nearby, or asking about the history of a monument the vehicle is passing.
Because the feature is built on Gemini’s live assistant, riders hold a conversation rather than working through a preset command list. Waymo frames the assistant as a helpful passenger — present for discovery and conversation while the driving system works independently.
How Gemini Stays Separate From the Waymo Driver
The separation between the two AI systems is the technical point worth noting for anyone tracking rider-facing AI in autonomous vehicles. The Waymo Driver handles perception and navigation outside the vehicle; Gemini operates inside the cabin and, per the company, does not touch movement or routing and cannot see real-time driving data. The single exception Waymo names is a voice-issued pullover request.
Waymo also positions rider privacy as a design constraint, stating that Gemini stays inactive until a rider chooses to engage it. The company says it will keep adding voice assistant capabilities over time while the feature remains in beta.
Redesigned Interface Built Around Seat Position
The second half of the update is the screen redesign. Waymo says the interface is tuned for a relaxed, lean-back ride, with dynamic screen elements surfacing key trip information and streamlining music playback, plus a system menu for cabin controls and media options.
The more novel element is what Waymo calls a choreographed tri-screen experience. Rather than duplicating one view across all three displays, the system distributes information based on which seats are occupied and where controls are actually needed. A single rider in the right rear seat sees full controls on their screen while the other two may show a simplified trip status view or an ambient media player. That same architecture enables Calm Mode, which dims the display and strips it back to minimal trip information.
Waymo says it will continue refining the Ojai rider experience.
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