While things are getting absurd with OpenAI, I just was confronted with AI driving a car. Yes, Waymo.
So I’m a the light behind it. The light turns green, we go, super smooth. At the end of the next street, there’s a stop. The Waymo stops for quite some time even though there’s no traffic.
There is. A pedestrian is jogging on the sidewalk and about to cross the street. I then notice that the Waymo has a pedestrian sign lit up on its roof. Smart. The car had seen him, in the dark, far before any human eyes could see him.
We then go on and the Waymo keeps its distance with the car in front of us. I pass them both. The Waymo was waiting for that lame human being driver to scoot over. It then smoothly accelerates and come next to me. Windows down.
The Waymo has no driver in the driver’s seat. Not the first time that I see that, but for the first time, it’s next to me.
A CAR DRIVING SMOOTHLY IN TRAFFIC WITHOUT A DAMN DRIVER AT THE WHEEL. THE WHEEL TURNS BY ITSELF. YO
It’s incredible because even though I know it, knew it, seeing it happening in front of you is exhilarating. I—
And yes, passengers in the back. An older black couple looking like they’ve been doing this since 1963, blasé AF. Of course!
Far or close, the now is surreal and very real. Seriously.