Waymo And the Subversive Pleasure of Being Alone

Self-driving cars are a revolutionary way to get around, but not for the reasons I expected

The author with a Waymo car in San Francisco

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!”

I suspect he’s not alone in feeling that way. 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.”