Waymo is basically putting generative AI right into its newer autonomous cars. On July 29, the Alphabet-owned robotaxi outfit said it was launching Gemini in Waymo, a conversational assistant built on Google Gemini, together with a big redesign for the passenger screens inside the new Ojai vehicles.
These updates move some focus away from what a robotaxi does out on the road, and more toward what people actually feel once they climb in. Waymo calls Ojai a purpose-built ride-hailing vehicle with a flexible cabin that feels like a “living room on wheels.” The company says it is getting ready to let more public riders use the vehicle soon.
The big headline bit is Gemini in Waymo, which lets riders use Google’s conversational AI from the vehicle display. Passengers turn it on by tapping the Gemini icon. After that, they talk naturally to Gemini rather than hunting through a bunch of menus, and you know, doing the usual touchscreen dance.
The assistant can handle cabin controls, journey info, details about Waymo, and general questions. Like, if someone is feeling warm they can ask Gemini to lower the air conditioning temperature, if a rider is wandering around an unfamiliar neighborhood, they could ask for nearby coffee recommendations, or for info about a local landmark.
Passengers can give a voice command asking the vehicle to pull over, which is a different thing than steering the robotaxi itself. This split matters because any hallucinated answer from the chatty assistanshouldn’t’t end up affecting how the autonomous driving system behaves. Waymo also notes Gemini stays inactive until a passenger decides to interact with it.
The feature is currently in beta, and more voice assistant capabilities are planned over time. This separation means a hallucinated answer from the conversational assistanshouldn’t’t directly impact how the autonomous driving system operates. Waymo also says Gemini stays inactive until a passenger chooses to engage with it.
Gemini is not the only big cabin upgrade. Waymo has rolled out what it calls its first major screen interface redesign in years, and it’s aiming at a smoother, more relaxed vibe for passengers, so they can unwind instead of fixating on the road.
The dynamic bits show the key journey info, while passengers can quickly pull up music, media, and cabin settings. The best part is Ojai’s three-screen setup. Rather than showing the same content on every screen, the system decides, pretty much on the fly, what each display should show based on where people are sitting.
Ojai itself is kind of a big shift for Waymo. Unlike vehicles that were adapted from typical consumer cars, Ojai was made for autonomous ride-hailing, not really anything else. It has a flat floor, a low entry point, and three big LED screens, plus accessibility features like embedded Braille and screen reader compatibility.
There’s also the company’s sixth-generation Waymo Driver. Waymo already said that some riders in San Francisco, Phoenix, and Los Angeles would get to try Ojai first; then, later, it was supposed to roll out to more markets, eventually.
With Gemini in Waymo and its adaptive tri-screen interface, Ojai shows how Waymo views the robotaxi moving past autonomous transportation. The vehicle is turning into an AI-powered space where riders can steer their surroundings, uncover nearby places, ask questions, or just flip on Calm Mode and settle in for the ride. Crucially, Waymo is also keeping Gemini separate from the tech that’s responsible for driving as more riders get access to Ojai, the new cabin.
