Mike Johns was trying to get from Phoenix home to Los Angeles. He took a Waymo to the airport, only it wouldn’t stop looping around a parking lot instead of heading to the terminal. According to Johns, the car made approximately eight full circles. He recorded video footage that has garnered millions of views on social media.
While the car circled, Johns contacted Waymo’s customer service line by phone for help, but they couldn’t get the vehicle to stop. What happened next is in dispute. Some reports indicate that after a few minutes, the car was brought under control and he arrived at the airport just in time. Others say the repeated loops in the parking lot caused him to miss his flight.
Either way, Johns complained that the customer service call felt impersonal, and he wondered whether he was speaking to an AI. He also complains he hasn’t been reimbursed for expenses (what expenses?) and that Waymo hasn’t contacted him to follow up. If he made his flight, he got a free adventure and story out of it. Many would pay extra!
By the way here’s a Waymo crashing into a delivery drone. Our new robot overlords are heading into battle. I’d note though that when self-driving fails it’s newsworthy. Human driving fails daily.
(HT: @crucker)
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