Say hi to new Ojai in-car experience

Designed from the ground up for ride-hailing, the Ojai reimagines the vehicle cabin as a flexible, premium space for riders to make their own – a true living room on wheels. As we prepare to welcome more public riders to experience the Ojai soon, we are unveiling new in-car features designed to enhance every journey: Gemini in Waymo and a redesigned user interface.

Gemini in Waymo

While the Waymo Driver’s demonstrably safe AI navigates the physical world outside the vehicle, riders can now harness Google’s Gemini inside the vehicle for discovery, connection, and effortless assistance. Gemini in Waymo empowers riders with cabin controls, journey information, Waymo education, and everyday knowledge at the touch of a button. 

Press the Gemini icon on the screen to personalize your ride and learn about the world around you. Feeling warm? Tell Gemini in Waymo to “turn the A/C to 65.” Want to explore the neighborhood? Ask “where is the best coffee shop nearby?” or “what’s the history of that monument?” Leveraging the power of Gemini’s live assistant, riders have more control over their ride and a wealth of knowledge just a query away.

Gemini in Waymo is a conversational AI assistant – like a helpful passenger – that operates independently from the Waymo Driver. You can issue a voice command to request a pullover, but Gemini does not otherwise control any aspect of the vehicle’s movement or routing and does not have access to real-time driving data.

Rider privacy is our priority: Gemini remains inactive unless you decide to engage with it. Gemini in Waymo is currently in beta, and we will continue to enhance the voice assistant functionality over time, adding more capabilities to make Waymo rides even more productive and personalized.

Rider-centric design

To take full advantage of the Ojai’s blank canvas, we’ve introduced an all-new screen interface – the first major design update in years. The interface is designed to support a relaxed, "lean-back" ride with more control available at your fingertips. Dynamic screen elements display key ride information and streamline music playback, while an intuitive system menu makes it easy to adjust cabin controls or access media options. 

The system uses a choreographed tri-screen experience, to serve one or many riders simultaneously. Instead of simply mirroring all three screens, information will vary based on which seats are occupied and where controls are needed. For example, a single rider in the right rear seat will see full controls on their screen while the other two screens may show a simplified trip status view or ambient media player. This choreography also allows for new capabilities like Calm Mode, which dims your screen and displays very minimal trip info for when you want a moment of zen.

We’ll continue to refine the Ojai’s rider experience, and we can’t wait to welcome you to your new home away from home soon.