A Waymo self driving vehicle on the road. Picture: Instagram
As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to permeate various aspects of everyday life, a recent viral incident involving a self-driving taxi has ignited fears among netizens globally.
The unsettling episode featured Mike Johns, a traveller from Los Angeles, who found himself going in circles in a Waymo e-hailing vehicle at an airport parking lot.
@dailymail Man became trapped in a malfunctioning self-driving car last month, nearly missing his flight. He was riding in an autonomous Waymo vehicle on his way to Sky Harbor airport in Phoenix when the car started driving in circles around a parking lot. The vehicle made eight repetitive loops while Johns, stuck inside, frantically tried to get help from the company over the phone. Read the full story on Dailymail.com #waymo #driverlesscar #news #stuck #tech ♬ original sound - Daily Mail
The viral video showed Johns, who was visibly distressed, trapped in the autonomous vehicle, unable to disembark as it repeatedly circled the parking area.
"Why is this happening to me on a Monday," exclaimed Johns, his patience wearing thin as he filmed the situation. "I’m in a Waymo car and this car is just going in circles," he lamented.
Scheduled to catch a flight out of Scottsdale, Arizona, Johns quickly realised he was in a precarious position.
In a call with a Waymo representative, he voiced his frustration: "I got a flight to catch. Why is this thing going in a circle? I’m getting dizzy."
He added: “I feel like I’m in the movies. Is somebody playing a joke on me?”
Waymo, touted as the 'world’s first autonomous ride-hailing service’ operates in major US cities like Phoenix, San Francisco and Los Angeles, has plans to expand to Miami and Atlanta.
While the physical threat to Johns was minimal – the vehicle eventually came to a stop, allowing him to make his flight – the psychological impact of the incident became evident as the video garnered widespread attention on social media.
Online reactions to the incident have highlighted a growing phenomenon known as “automation anxiety”.
Users across platforms voiced their concerns about trusting technology over human interaction. Commenting on the video shared by the “Daily Mail” on TikTok, one user, @mfheat remarked: “Why would anyone trust technology over human contact?”
Another user, @donnabooboo, emphatically stated: "Self-driving car … that’s a big NO!" The sentiment was echoed by @user3152974440490, who described the episode as "terrifying" and suggested that technology had a long way to go before it achieved reliability.
Meanwhile, @traceybell84 added: “This is why I'll never get in one,” capturing a sentiment shared by many wary of autonomous systems.
The viral response to Johns’ experience underscores a significant hurdle that AI-driven services may face as they become more commonplace.
As companies like Waymo push the envelope on technological advancements, the question of public trust looms large.
Although the incident ended without physical harm, it has shifted perceptions of those who utilise or consider utilising self-driving services.