Waymo's Driverless Dream: A One-Way Ticket to Dystopia?
Alright, let's get this straight. Waymo wants to unleash its robotaxis on Sydney? Seriously? I saw this coming, offcourse.
First off, let's talk about those "unique hazards" on Australian roads. Kangaroos. Cute, right? Until one hops in front of your driverless car at 60 miles an hour. Are we really supposed to believe Waymo's AI is ready for that? It's not like they're dealing with squirrels here. And what happens when those things start figuring out how to exploit the system? A coordinated kangaroo attack on a fleet of robotaxis? Don't laugh, it could happen.
And then there are the narrow, winding streets of Sydney. San Francisco is a cakewalk compared to that. I've been to both cities, and anyone who thinks Waymo can just port its code over is delusional. It's like saying you can fly a kite in a hurricane. Sure, technically possible, but a spectacularly bad idea.
But here's the thing that REALLY pisses me off. Waymo's head of engineering, Nick Pelly, is bleating about the "40,000 road deaths just in the US per year that are completely avoidable." Oh, so you care about saving lives now? What about the lives you're going to screw over when you put taxi drivers out of work? Waymo’s Self-Driving Cars Hit NYC Streets, Sparking Concerns for Taxi Drivers
We're talking about real people here. Immigrants, mostly, just trying to make a living. Anshu Gaba, a yellow cab driver in Queens, lost his savings when Uber came along. Now Waymo wants to finish the job? What's next, robot waiters? Robot construction workers? Are we all just supposed to sit around and collect universal basic income while the machines take over?
And don't even get me started on the "major cultural shift" Waymo's talking about. Trusting our safety entirely to AI? Yeah, no thanks. I'll take my chances with a human driver, flaws and all. At least I can yell at them if they're driving like maniacs. What am I gonna do, file a complaint with the robot's supervisor?
Oh, and they're testing in Tokyo and planning London operations? Because those cities are just begging for more traffic chaos. Honestly, the arrogance of these tech companies is astounding.
So, what's the play here? Waymo gets legislation passed by 2026, but Australia's framework won't be ready until 2027? Sounds like someone's greasing some palms. "Commonwealth Automated Vehicle Safety Law"? More like the "Commonwealth Automated Vehicle Profit Law."
And this whole "generalisable driver" thing? Local delivery, long-haul trucking, personally owned cars... It's not about making transportation better; it's about world domination. They want to control every aspect of how we move around. And people are just eating it up.
Hold on... am I being too harsh? Maybe I'm just a grumpy old man yelling at clouds. Nah, I don't think so. This is a disaster waiting to happen.
