Waymo Tests Gemini AI Ride Assistant to Deepen Robotaxi Customer Experience

New updates have been reported about Waymo.

Waymo is developing an in-car AI assistant powered by Google’s Gemini model for its robotaxi service, signaling a strategic push to differentiate its rider experience and more deeply integrate Alphabet’s AI capabilities into its operations. According to code discovered in Waymo’s mobile app by independent researcher Jane Manchun Wong, the company has created a detailed “Waymo Ride Assistant Meta-Prompt,” a 1,200+ line specification defining how the Gemini-based assistant should behave inside a Waymo vehicle. While not yet publicly released, the assistant is designed to answer passenger questions, adjust certain cabin settings such as temperature, lighting and music, and provide reassurance during trips, potentially increasing rider comfort and reducing the need for human support. A Waymo spokesperson confirmed only that the company is “tinkering with features” to make rides more useful and seamless, leaving timing and launch scope unspecified.

The system design emphasizes a clear division between Gemini as an in-car companion and the Waymo Driver autonomous system, with the assistant explicitly instructed to describe driving behavior in third person and avoid commenting on real-time maneuvers or specific incidents. This separation appears aimed at managing legal, regulatory, and reputational risk by preventing the assistant from acting as a de facto spokesperson on safety performance while still handling general questions, local information, and basic entertainment. The prompt also constrains the assistant’s behavior with strict limitations: no route changes, no seat or window control, no ordering services or handling emergencies, and responses capped at one to three sentences in simple language. Strategically, the move builds on Waymo’s existing, non-rider-facing use of Gemini’s “world knowledge” to train its autonomous driving models on complex edge cases, and now extends that AI integration to the customer layer. For executives, this indicates Waymo is investing in product differentiation, user trust, and operational scalability through AI—positioning its robotaxi service not just as a transportation utility, but as a controlled, AI-enhanced mobility experience, while carefully managing liability and competitive comparisons with other autonomous and AI-driven vehicle offerings.