A viral video on X shows a person going full 'Donkey Kong' on an autonomous Waymo vehicle in the crime-ridden downtown area of San Francisco over the weekend. This plays into a much larger trend of people lashing out against self-driving cars.
Local media outlet KRON4 said the fully autonomous Jaguar I-Pace was near Market and Dolores streets when a person jumped on the hood and started "stomping the front windshield in an attempt to break it open."
Californian vs Waymo...
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) April 22, 2024
Another Day, Another Crimepic.twitter.com/jnNgxKswfs
This isn't the first time driverless vehicles have been targeted. A video from earlier this year shows a crowd in Chinatown torching a Waymo Jaguar on Jackson Street, between Stockton and Grant.
BREAKING: An autonomous Waymo vehicle is intentionally set on fire in Chinatown, according to SF Fire. Firefighters said they got reports around 10 people were involved.
— Gia Vang (@Gia_Vang) February 11, 2024
Waymo said “a crowd surrounded and vandalized the vehicle, breaking the window and throwing a firework … pic.twitter.com/6QN2jTppRu
A video late last year shows another robotaxi being attacked by a person with a hammer.
Someone seen destroying a RoboTaxi in San Francisco this weekend.
— (((BrokeAssStuart))) (@BrokeAssStuart) September 11, 2023
What do you think, hero or villain?
🎥: @caterywta on IG pic.twitter.com/KTdwGKrgWF
Last summer, we pointed out that members of Safe Street Rebels, a group that says these cars are "polluting, dangerous & murderous," were coning driverless cars across the city.
Week of Cone - Night One was a hit! Keep sending in your coning submissions 🦄 pic.twitter.com/c4KZLbFvhy
— Safe Street Rebel (@SafeStreetRebel) July 6, 2023
We have cited some X users who believe "The AI crusades have begun."
Why would people rise up against machines? As Goldman explained a little over a year ago, "AI Will Lead To 300 Million Layoffs In The US And Europe."
