"I vividly remember the first time that I buckled my 8-year-old son into a 4,000 pound, AI powered robot, pressed a button, and sent us careening through the streets of San Francisco with no one behind the steering wheel. We were riding a Waymo, one of the first self-driving cars to offer public rides in selected U.S. cities, our own city of San Francisco included. After a few minutes of riding, I asked my son what he thought. "I feel . . ." he said, taking a long pause before responding, ". . . uncomfortable. But, it's really cool!""
"According to data from AAA, 61% of Americans consider themselves "afraid" to ride in a self-driving car, with only 13% saying that they fully trust the technology. Yet people are immensely fascinated by these AI-powered machines-and surprisingly inclined to use them. A study in the journal Science and Public Policy explored early public dialogue around self-driving vehicles, finding that "The investment and excitement surrounding self-driving vehicles are huge.""
An 8-year-old rode in a 4,000-pound, AI-powered Waymo through San Francisco with no one at the steering wheel. Public sentiment shows tension: 61% of Americans report feeling afraid to ride in a self-driving car while only 13% fully trust the technology. Interest and investment in autonomous vehicles remain high, and autonomous rides now account for over 25% of rideshare trips in cities that adopted the tech. Waymo operates nearly 1,000 self-driving cars in San Francisco on many days. Frequent users report that the rides are surprisingly boring, a predictable quality framed as a practical advantage.
Read at Fast Company
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