Waymo has 'no plans' to sell ads to riders based on camera data

Rumors circulated today that robotaxi company Waymo might use data from vehicles' interior cameras to train AI and sell targeted ads to riders. However, the company has tried to quell concerns, insisting that it won't be targeting ads to passengers.

The situation arose after researcher and engineer Jane Manchun Wong discovered an unreleased version of Waymo's privacy policy that suggested the robotaxi company could start using data from its vehicles to train generative AI. The draft policy has language allowing customers to opt out of Waymo "using your personal information (including interior camera data associated with your identity) for training GAI." Wong's discovery also suggested that Waymo could use that camera footage to sell personalized ads to riders.

Later in the day, The Verge obtained comments on this unreleased privacy policy from Waymo spokesperson Julia Ilina. "Waymo's [machine learning] systems are not designed to use this data to identify individual people, and there are no plans to use this data for targeted ads," she said. Ilina said the version found by Wong featured "placeholder text that doesn’t accurately reflect the feature’s purpose" and noted that the feature was still in development. It "will not introduce any changes to Waymo’s Privacy Policy, but rather will offer riders an opportunity to opt out of data collection for ML training purposes."

Hopefully Waymo holds to those statements. Privacy and security are huge concerns as AI companies try to feed their models as much information as possible. Waymo is owned by Alphabet and Google is developing its own AI assistant, Gemini, as well as other AI projects with its DeepMind division.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/waymo-has-no-plans-to-sell-ads-to-riders-based-on-camera-data-225340265.html?src=rss https://www.engadget.com/transportation/waymo-has-no-plans-to-sell-ads-to-riders-based-on-camera-data-225340265.html?src=rss
Létrehozva 4mo | 2025. ápr. 7. 23:50:03


Jelentkezéshez jelentkezzen be

EGYÉB POSTS Ebben a csoportban

Opera takes its browser beef with Microsoft to Brazil in antitrust complaint

Opera is filing an antitrust complaint against Microsoft in Brazil,

2025. júl. 29. 23:50:15 | Engadget
Home Depot has a new animatronic version of Skelly the skeleton

The Home Depot is well on its way to becoming a Spirit Halloween that also sells weed whackers. Here we are in July, and the retailer is already

2025. júl. 29. 19:20:45 | Engadget
ChatGPT's Study Mode will guide students to an answer stey by step

OpenAI is rolling out a new Study Mode the company says is designed to give students a better understa

2025. júl. 29. 19:20:42 | Engadget
Google adds Video Overviews to NotebookLM

NotebookLM, the Google research tool that gained notoriety for its

2025. júl. 29. 19:20:40 | Engadget
YouTube is turning over age verification to AI

YouTube will start using machine learning to determine whether viewers should be on a teen account. The company

2025. júl. 29. 19:20:39 | Engadget
Prime members can get the DJI Mini 4K drone on sale for $249

Amazon is selling the

2025. júl. 29. 17:10:23 | Engadget
Our favorite Logitech mouse is $40 off right now

If you're in the market for a new mouse that won't totally break the bank then today is your lucky day. Right now,

2025. júl. 29. 17:10:22 | Engadget