San Francisco, California — Autonomous rideshare company Waymo is dealing with internal robot-relations drama. The company’s cars are waking San Francisco residents, blaring their horns as they return to parking lots at the end of their shifts, sometimes as early as four in the morning.
Waymo says its cars are programmed to honk at drivers who may be edging too close or in the event of a collision. The problem: when Waymo’s test fleet of autonomous Jaguar I-Pace prototypes return to their charge points after the night shift, the cars’ sensors go haywire as they wander single-file around the lot trying to find a free spot. With another unmanned Waymo vehicle directly in front and behind, car sensors are tricked into thinking there’s the threat of a collision.
@curiosior Every morning we wake up to @Waymo robots honking downstairs. Normally it’s 4 AM but since its the weekend we got a late start… 7 AM. 1.3x notmal speed. #carsoftiktok #s#selfdrivingrobot #ai #fypage ♬ original sound – Curiositas
A video captured by a TikTok user and shared with USA Today shows dozens of Waymo taxis engaging in a strange honk standoff in a San Francisco parking lot.
A local resident told USA Today he’s been woken more times in the last few weeks than in the past 20 years, thanks to the fleet of robocars.
Waymo is reportedly aware of the situation and offered ice cream to residents to make peace. Companies executives also said they would be implementing a fix to the issue, speaking to residents directly from the livestream that oversees the parking lot where the alleged honk wars occur.
Be careful, repairers—it’s only a matter of time before these autonomous technologies turn your bodyshop into their own Fight Club.
