““They said they need real-world examples, but I don’t want to be their real-world mistake,” said Mr. O’Polka, who runs his own company providing information technology to small businesses.
“They didn’t ask us if we
wanted to be part of their beta test,” added his wife, who helps run the business.
At least 21
such attacks have been leveled at Waymo vans in Chandler, as first reported by The Arizona Republic. Some analysts
say they expect more such behavior as the nation moves into a broader
discussion about the potential for driverless cars to unleash colossal changes
in American society. The debate touches on fears ranging from eliminating jobs
for drivers to ceding control over mobility to autonomous vehicles.
“People are
lashing out justifiably," said Douglas Rushkoff, a media theorist at City
University of New York and author of the book “Throwing Rocks at the Google
Bus.” He likened driverless cars to robotic incarnations of scabs — workers who
refuse to join strikes or who take the place of those on strike.
“There’s a
growing sense that the giant corporations honing driverless technologies do not
have our best interests at heart,” Mr. Rushkoff said. “Just think about the
humans inside these vehicles, who are essentially training the artificial
intelligence that will replace them.””
