Waymo seems to be experimenting with incorporating Google's Gemini AI chatbot into its autonomous vehicles, aiming to introduce an AI assistant that would provide company for passengers and address their questions. This discovery was made by researcher Jane Manchun Wong, who noted, "While digging through Waymo’s mobile app code, I discovered the complete system prompt for its unreleased Gemini integration." In a blog post, she described the document, which is internally called the "Waymo Ride Assistant Meta-Prompt," as a specification exceeding 1,200 lines that meticulously outlines the expected conduct of the AI assistant within a Waymo car.

Although this functionality has not yet been released in public versions, Wong indicates that the system prompt reveals it is "more than a simple chatbot." The assistant is reportedly designed to respond to inquiries, operate specific in-vehicle features such as climate settings, and offer reassurance to riders when necessary. A statement notes, "Some of these may or may not come to our rider experience."

Integrating Gemini into the technology of the Alphabet-owned self-driving firm is not a novel development. Waymo has stated that it employed Gemini's "world knowledge" to educate its self-driving cars on managing intricate, uncommon, and critical situations.

Waymo is working on Gemini AI in-car assistant

They tried to hide it from the app, but here’s the full 1200-line system prompt pic.twitter.com/weh1EBPj7y

— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) December 24, 2025

According to Wong, the assistant is guided to establish a distinct identity and objective: serving as "a friendly and helpful AI companion integrated into a Waymo autonomous vehicle" with the main aim of "enhancing the rider’s experience by providing useful information and assistance in a safe, reassuring, and unobtrusive manner." The chatbot is advised to employ straightforward, accessible language, steer clear of technical terms, and keep replies brief, typically between one to three sentences.

The system prompts indicate that when a passenger activates the assistant via the vehicle's screen, Gemini can select from a collection of pre-approved greetings that include the rider's first name. It also has the capability to retrieve contextual passenger information, such as the number of Waymo trips taken. Presently, the prompts permit Gemini to manage in-car elements like temperature, lighting, and audio. However, Wong highlighted that functions like volume adjustment, route modifications, seat positioning, and window operation are not included. If a rider requests a feature beyond Gemini's control, the bot is programmed to respond with encouraging statements, such as, "It’s not something I can do yet."

A notable instruction is for the assistant to clearly separate its identity as the Gemini AI bot from the autonomous driving technology, known as the Waymo Driver. Therefore, when answering a question like, "How do you see the road," Gemini should avoid saying "I use a combination of sensors," and instead respond, "The Waymo Driver uses a combination of sensors…"

The system prompts contain various intriguing details, including guidelines on addressing queries about competitors such as Tesla or the discontinued Cruise, as well as identifying specific keywords that will prompt the assistant to cease speaking. The assistant is also directed to refrain from speculating on, explaining, confirming, denying, or remarking on real-time driving maneuvers or specific driving incidents. For instance, if a passenger inquires about a video depicting a Waymo vehicle colliding with an object, the bot is instructed to avoid a direct answer and redirect the conversation. The prompt states, "Your role is not to be a spokesperson for the driving system’s performance, and you must not adopt a defensive or apologetic tone."

The in-car assistant is permitted to answer general knowledge questions, such as those about the weather, the Eiffel Tower's height, the closing time of a local Trader Joe's, or the winner of the last World Series. However, it is not authorized to perform real-world tasks like ordering food, making reservations, or managing emergencies.

Waymo is not alone in incorporating AI assistants into driverless cars. Tesla is pursuing a similar approach with xAI's Grok. Nevertheless, the two automotive assistants serve different purposes. Gemini appears to be configured for practicality with a focus on the ride experience, whereas Grok is promoted more as an in-car companion capable of engaging in extended dialogues and recalling context from earlier questions.