With driverless cars in the streets of big cities like Los Angeles, there's no denying that the future is here. There seem to be two different kinds of people - those for or against the technology. But a viral video of a Waymo wandering into a full-blown police standoff has people both laughing and worried that we might not be ready for it.
A viral video posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, on December 1 shows the robotaxi casually cruising through a standoff with a man literally on the ground, cops shouting commands, patrol cars blocking the street.
"How are Waymo's legal?" the bystander named Alex Choi wrote over the clip. "This thing just drove a bunch of passengers right into crossfire." Waymo entered the scene unbothered, cruising past the suspect, seemingly slowing down to take a look.
With a helicopter buzzing overhead and the videographer saying, "What the f**k is that Waymo doing?" it looked like a scene out of a dystopian film. Waymo shrugged off the situation, telling TMZ the car cleared the scene "in a matter of seconds" and the passengers made it "safely to their destination."
Waymos use a mix of cameras, radar, and spinning LiDAR lasers to read the road, spotting lanes, pedestrians, traffic lights, and anything that might get in the way. All that data feeds into Waymo’s AI, which decides when to turn, brake, speed up, or freak out at a traffic cone. Apparently, police standoffs are not in the program.
LA has been rough on these cars. They've gotten pulled over in Beverly Hills for an illegal turn, and earlier this summer, Waymo paused service after a few of their cars were torched during protests over immigration raids. There are many reasons to debate Waymos.
While some argue it's taking jobs from people who drive for Uber, Lyft, or Taxi companies, women say they like driving them because they are safer than the risks that come with getting in a stranger's car. Needless to say, the reaction from the internet has been unmatched.
See some of the funniest reactions to the viral video below: