Waymo is bringing Google's Gemini AI assistant into the cabin of its Ojai robotaxi and pairing it with the first major redesign of its rider interface in years, as the Alphabet unit prepares to open its purpose-built vehicle to more public riders across California and other markets.
Gemini in Waymo, kept away from the wheel
Riders can call up Gemini by tapping a dedicated icon on the seatback screen and hold a full voice conversation: adjust cabin climate ("turn the A/C to 65"), ask for nearby coffee shops, or query "the history of that monument." Waymo says the assistant runs entirely separately from the Waymo Driver — the autonomy stack that actually pilots the car — so Gemini can request a pullover by voice but has no other access to real-time driving data, routing or steering.
A choreographed tri-screen cabin
The Ojai's three screens now share a "choreographed" interface, described by Waymo as its first major UI overhaul in years. Rather than mirror the same view, each screen adapts to who is sitting where: a solo rider in the right rear seat gets full controls, while other screens can show a simplified trip status or ambient media player. A new Calm Mode dims screens to bare-bones trip info for riders who want to lean back and detach. The redesign is optimized for the Zeekr-built sixth-generation Ojai platform introduced earlier this year.
Competing on the ride, not just the map
Waymo already operates more than 3,000 vehicles and roughly 500,000 paid rides a week across more than a dozen cities, and it recently secured CPUC approval to expand across 18 California counties alongside stadium and event tie-ups like the new Las Vegas Raiders partnership. With coverage becoming table stakes, Waymo is now shifting engineering attention to the in-car experience itself — a differentiator that rivals like Tesla and Zoox have yet to match at scale.
Privacy pitch and beta rollout
Gemini in Waymo stays inactive until a rider engages it, which Waymo pitches as a privacy safeguard alongside its published data-handling practices. The assistant is launching in beta and will continue to gain capabilities over time, echoing how the company iteratively rolled out earlier Gemini features across Google apps.
Reporting based on coverage from Waymo, Electrek and 9to5Google.