Apparently we have self-driving Ubers now, and I spent Halloweekend catching them.
Waymo is the newest technology in the self-driving car space, and it’s taking over the Los Angeles area. Just like Uber, you download the app, call a car, and within 10 minutes a car will be there, ready to take you wherever your heart desires.
Except there’s no one driving.
Obviously the most intriguing part of Waymo is the fact that this technology seemed to have come out of nowhere. We’ve known that Tesla has been a front-runner in the self-driving car industry, but Waymo has just stormed into the lead.
It’s not entirely surprising to find out that Waymo is owned by Google, seeing that this multi-billion dollar corporation seemed to just spawn in over the past few months.
When I first found out about them, my immediate reaction was “Uh-oh, even cab drivers are losing their jobs now.” It feels like driverless cars have been on the horizon since I was born, but now they’re actually here, and it’s unavoidable.
As I was sitting in the passenger seat of a car, by myself, at 12:30 am, I have to confess: I was a little nervous. The place I was getting picked up from was a dead-end street, and a busy one at that. Somehow, the Waymo with all its cameras, drove down to the end of the street, and hit a swift three point turn before driving away onto the high street.
Somehow, Waymo’s drive like a bad Uber driver. Heavy on the breaks, and even heavier on the accelerator, I was expecting a perfectly smooth ride, unencumbered by any jolts or bumps. Other than the suspect driving, the trip was pretty good.
I did find it funny however, when we were driving down Venice Blvd, and the Waymo slowed down to 25 mph as we passed Venice High School to (attempt to) obey the school zone speed limit, despite the streets being void of children. Perhaps critical thinking skills are still lacking for these spaceships.
The car was a posh Jaguar, with a big center console for all your music needs, or navigation concerns. In the bottom right corner of the console there’s a “Support” button with a phone emblem. Out of pure curiosity I clicked it.
Within 15 seconds a woman picked up the line “This is Waymo support, how can I help you?” I told her that; truthfully, I was writing a piece for my high school newspaper about Waymos, and that I was just curious on how well the button worked. The woman laughed and said “No worries! Feel free to call back if you have any questions or concerns!”
As my Waymo pulled up to my house at 12:55, just before my 1 a.m curfew, all I could think about was what this technology means for the future. Sure it’s a little unsettling to be driven by something that can’t tell when school’s out, and thinks a speed bump is a low-grade earthquake. In a strange way, Waymo feels like a glimpse into the future, but two futures. One future where we live in harmony, but also the future where no one has jobs, and AI has completely overthrown.
There’s something comforting about the whole experience though, there’s no fear of being kidnapped or having a shady driver. With the right guidance, (not being led by someone flapping around like a bag of milk on stage yelling “DARK MAGA”) Waymo can be used for real good, and can spearhead a safer way of traveling.
