If you’ve ever wondered if a robotaxi can go rogue, wonder no more. Mike Johns, an artificial intelligence consultant from Inglewood, Calif., caught a ride using a self-driving cab from the Hertz parking lot to the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. All of a sudden, the car apparently said to heck with GPS and began driving in circles. Johns wondered if someone was pulling a prank on him, even thinking the car might have been hacked. He described the scene as feeling trapped in a sci-fi thriller. After Waymo was notified of the issue, a customer support agent began speaking with Johns over the car speakers, but the agent could do little to stop the car from circling and saying it might be experiencing a “routing issue.” Meanwhile, Johns, who needed to catch his flight, couldn’t get out of the car. He even wondered if the customer support agent was really AI-powered because she avoided answering specific questions pertaining to his ride. The car wound up circling 8 times, causing Johns to nearly miss his flight. Johns posted the incident on social media, indicating that Waymo had not followed up with him about the situation, though the company insists they left a voicemail follow-up. The company did, however, issue a refund to Johns. Even as self-driving taxis continue to be a burgeoning technology, only 25% of Americans would prefer a robotaxi to traditional rideshare.
