Waymo is testing Gemini as an in-car AI assistant in its robotaxis

Waymo appears to be testing adding Google’s Gemini AI chatbot to its robotaxis in an effort to integrate an AI assistant that would accompany riders and answer their queries, according to findings by researcher Jane Manchun Wong . “While digging through Waymo’s mobile app code, I discovered the complete system prompt for its unreleased Gemini integration,” Wong wrote in a blog. “The document, internally titled ‘Waymo Ride Assistant Meta-Prompt,’ is a 1,200+ line specification that defines exactly how the AI assistant is expected to behave inside a Waymo vehicle.” The feature hasn’t shipped in public builds, but Wong says the system prompt makes it clear that this is “more than a simple chatbot.” The assistant is said to have the ability to answer questions, manage certain in-cabin functions like climate control, and if required, reassure riders. “While we have no details to share today, our team is always tinkering with features to make riding with Waymo delightful, seamless, and useful,” Julia Ilina, a spokesperson for Waymo, told TechCrunch. “Some of these may or may not come to our rider experience.” This wouldn’t be the first time Gemini has been integrated into the Alphabet-owned self-driving company’s stack. Waymo says it has used Gemini’s “world knowledge” to train its autonomous vehicles to navigate complex, rare, and high-stakes scenarios. Wong writes the assistant is instructed to possess a clear identity and purpose: “a friendly and helpful AI companion integrated into a Waymo autonomous vehicle” whose primary goal is “to enhance the rider’s experience by providing useful information and assistance in a safe, reassuring, and unobtrusive manner.” The bot is directed to use clear, simple language and avoid technical jargon, and is instructed to keep its responses succinct to one to three sentences. According to the system prompts, when a rider activates the assistant via the in-car screen, Gemini can choose from a set of pre-approved greetings personalized with the rider’s first name. The system can also access contextual data about the rider, like how many Waymo trips they’ve been on. Join the Disrupt 2026 Waitlist Add yourself to the Disrupt 2026 waitlist to be first in line when Early Bird tickets drop. Past Disrupts have brought Google Cloud, Netflix, Microsoft, Box, Phia, a16z, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Hugging Face, Elad Gil, and Vinod Khosla to the stages - part of 250+ industry leaders driving 200+ sessions built to fuel your growth and sharpen your edge. Plus, meet the hundreds of startups innovating across every sector. Join the Disrupt 2026 Waitlist Add yourself to the Disrupt 2026 waitlist to be first in line when Early Bird tickets drop. Past Disrupts have brought Google Cloud, Netflix, Microsoft, Box, Phia, a16z, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Hugging Face, Elad Gil, and Vinod Khosla to the stages - part of 250+ industry leaders driving 200+ sessions built to fuel your growth and sharpen your edge. Plus, meet the hundreds of startups innovating across every sector. The prompts currently let Gemini access and control in-car features, like the temperature, lighting and music. Notably...

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