Waymo's robotaxi now features an AI assistant, Gemini

Waymo, a company under the Alphabet holding, has introduced the Gemini AI assistant for the cabin of its Ojai robotaxi model.

Gemini in Waymo helps passengers control the cabin, get information about the trip, and answer general questions. The assistant is activated by tapping an icon on the screen. A passenger can ask Gemini to turn on the air conditioning, find the nearest coffee shop, or tell about the history of the building outside the window.

Gemini operates independently from the Waymo Driver system and does not have access to real-time vehicle movement data. The assistant can accept a voice command to stop the car, but cannot control the route or speed. The function is triggered only by the passenger's initiative and is currently in beta version — the company plans to expand its capabilities.

The Ojai model received an updated interface — a system of three coordinated screens: a central one and two in front of the passenger seats. Their content changes depending on which seats are occupied — for example, if there is only one passenger sitting in the back right seat, the full set of controls appears on their screen, while the other two show a simplified trip status or a media player background. Additionally, there is now a Calm Mode — a mode in which the screen dims and displays minimal trip information.

Source: Waymo