I was just in SF and someone told me there will be fewer accidents with Waymo. I am not sure if I believe that. The techies act like this is all part of inevitable progress, like AI. There is this whole argument about inevitability around tech that I find to be a copout. It was super creepy seeing them in SF!
Yes, there’s this bizarre excitement like - hey we’re gonna have everything automated for us! without any ethical consideration. The awe of technological advancement has replaced all other forms of awe. Thanks for chiming in!
I like Mike Johns’ distinction between ‘driverless’ and ‘humanless’. Humans in the car, but not in the loop at all, is a concern.
All software has bugs. Even at exceptionally low error rates, mistakes are problems, and it sounds like there was no effective way for the human to address it when the car they were in made a mistake. Human passengers ought to have a ‘stop the ride, I want to get out now’ button and an ‘emergency help’ button that actually works.
It also sounds like the remote monitoring of the Waymos has gaps. A robust monitoring system should be able to detect a vehicle going in circles or such. Humans supervising the system should be alerted & able to reach out to the trapped passenger. And their software developers should be automatically notified of the bug & associated data.
Can I be the odd "man" out here? As a neurodivergent who is very sensitive to sounds and smells, and one who feels compelled to be a people pleaser, I found the Waymo experience awesome. It was a welcome respite for me. I could relax!! I'll definitely use it again rather than Uber or Lyft. I mean, Uber and Lyft rip off their drivers anyway. Last time I took Uber, I got an earful from the driver about how unfair the company is to the drivers. For me, with Waymo, I don't have to have anxiety before and during a ride. My experience with drivers is they either talk my ear off about themselves until I'm exhausted by the time I arrive, or they don't say a word, in which case I spend the entire time trying to figure out where I can interject a nicety to make sure they don't think I'm an entitled snob. LOL!!!
This is really refreshing. I do see there are advantages and I'm so glad you came here to report them. Waymo may not be for me, but a balanced perspective always is. ❤️
We humans are notoriously bad drivers. Especially when we're sleepy or distracted, or mad as hell and not going to take it anymore. I hope to live long enough to see the day when a child will point and say, "Look, there's a human driving that car."
The big quandary for humans as we shift into the age of AI is to define for ourselves personally and for our culture what it means to be human. How do we want to live our lives? What experiences are we looking for? If the pandemic somewhat answered that question already then we need a human experience with humans, not a human experience with AI. Online learning failed, isolation kills, and we feel best when we are together in beloved company. Driverless cars, Amazon's customer service, lengthy phone trees without a human to talk to, all leave us frustrated and wanting. Wanting interaction with humans. The Waymo question is bigger.
Well said Susanne. I think you nailed the central questions of the HI Stack. What does it mean to be human and what are the distinctly human qualities and skills we share? Because those things are atrophying and have been leaving us hurting. Thanks for chiming in.
I don't know how comfortable I would feel in a driverless car even if it is kind of cool in theory- very Logan's Run. Then again, I have not jumped onto the rideshare bandwagon yet either.
I actually love Waymo... Fast, efficient, and because I feel guilty if I don't engage in conversation with a person doing a job for me, the guilt is eliminated...
I love you! We saw a few Waymo’s when we were in LA. This piece is wonderful.
They’re quite a sight, right? Thanks, sweet Amy for chiming in here.
Wow! We're removing humans a lot of places. Think about the supermarket. We may never have to talk to someone we don't know again, in the near future.
It’s really bizarre and kind of scary.
I was just in SF and someone told me there will be fewer accidents with Waymo. I am not sure if I believe that. The techies act like this is all part of inevitable progress, like AI. There is this whole argument about inevitability around tech that I find to be a copout. It was super creepy seeing them in SF!
Yes, there’s this bizarre excitement like - hey we’re gonna have everything automated for us! without any ethical consideration. The awe of technological advancement has replaced all other forms of awe. Thanks for chiming in!
I like Mike Johns’ distinction between ‘driverless’ and ‘humanless’. Humans in the car, but not in the loop at all, is a concern.
All software has bugs. Even at exceptionally low error rates, mistakes are problems, and it sounds like there was no effective way for the human to address it when the car they were in made a mistake. Human passengers ought to have a ‘stop the ride, I want to get out now’ button and an ‘emergency help’ button that actually works.
It also sounds like the remote monitoring of the Waymos has gaps. A robust monitoring system should be able to detect a vehicle going in circles or such. Humans supervising the system should be alerted & able to reach out to the trapped passenger. And their software developers should be automatically notified of the bug & associated data.
Can you write this as an OpEd? It's perfect.
Not sure what you mean about writing it as an OpEd? DM me 😊
Can I be the odd "man" out here? As a neurodivergent who is very sensitive to sounds and smells, and one who feels compelled to be a people pleaser, I found the Waymo experience awesome. It was a welcome respite for me. I could relax!! I'll definitely use it again rather than Uber or Lyft. I mean, Uber and Lyft rip off their drivers anyway. Last time I took Uber, I got an earful from the driver about how unfair the company is to the drivers. For me, with Waymo, I don't have to have anxiety before and during a ride. My experience with drivers is they either talk my ear off about themselves until I'm exhausted by the time I arrive, or they don't say a word, in which case I spend the entire time trying to figure out where I can interject a nicety to make sure they don't think I'm an entitled snob. LOL!!!
This is really refreshing. I do see there are advantages and I'm so glad you came here to report them. Waymo may not be for me, but a balanced perspective always is. ❤️
We humans are notoriously bad drivers. Especially when we're sleepy or distracted, or mad as hell and not going to take it anymore. I hope to live long enough to see the day when a child will point and say, "Look, there's a human driving that car."
🥲😊 thanks for that sweet image
The big quandary for humans as we shift into the age of AI is to define for ourselves personally and for our culture what it means to be human. How do we want to live our lives? What experiences are we looking for? If the pandemic somewhat answered that question already then we need a human experience with humans, not a human experience with AI. Online learning failed, isolation kills, and we feel best when we are together in beloved company. Driverless cars, Amazon's customer service, lengthy phone trees without a human to talk to, all leave us frustrated and wanting. Wanting interaction with humans. The Waymo question is bigger.
Well said Susanne. I think you nailed the central questions of the HI Stack. What does it mean to be human and what are the distinctly human qualities and skills we share? Because those things are atrophying and have been leaving us hurting. Thanks for chiming in.
I don't know how comfortable I would feel in a driverless car even if it is kind of cool in theory- very Logan's Run. Then again, I have not jumped onto the rideshare bandwagon yet either.
Totally get it. Check out the video! Then you can do vicariously.
Oh- just watched now. Can we say Mr. Toad's Wild Ride from Disneyland? Thanks for doing this so I don't have to. LOL
I actually love Waymo... Fast, efficient, and because I feel guilty if I don't engage in conversation with a person doing a job for me, the guilt is eliminated...
🥰 And I know you love it more when someone isn't shining a bright video light in your eyes.