Individuals Deceived Waymo's AI, Leading 50 Robotaxis to a Cul-de-Sac | Carscoops

      A tech prank in San Francisco revealed how self-driving ride systems can become overwhelmed when too many users make requests simultaneously.

      Eight hours ago, pranksters summoned 50 robotaxis to the city’s longest dead-end street.

      The vehicles waited for about ten minutes before leaving the area automatically.

      Each no-show incurred a $5 charge, despite no passengers entering the cars.

      Waymo’s self-driving vehicles have transitioned robotaxi services from mere technology demonstrations to everyday occurrences; however, the same connectivity that enables this progress also invites occasional pranks and misuse.

      In San Francisco, a group of pranksters aimed to see what would happen if they inundated the service with requests. They referred to the outcome as the world's first Waymo DDOS, which stands for distributed denial-of-service.

      The incident was revealed through a post on X by self-identified tech prankster Riley Walz, who recently shared details of the event that took place in July. The plan was simple: fifty participants gathered on the longest dead-end street in San Francisco and each ordered a Waymo ride at the same moment.

      What Happens When You Summon 50 Robotaxis?

      As anticipated, a fleet of driverless cars appeared, gathering at the dead end and blocking traffic. Those nearby seeking a legitimate ride suddenly found no available Waymo cars.

      According to Walz, no one from the group got into any of the vehicles. Each car stayed for about ten minutes before automatically leaving, incurring a $5 no-show charge.

      "Waymo managed this effectively; I assume it's not much different from what happens when a large concert ends," Walz commented. "Eventually, they deactivated all rides within a two-block radius until morning."

      A Waymo spokesperson discussed the situation with Road & Track, stating that the service can automatically detect and restrict the number of rides in a particular area, allowing it to prevent more vehicles from arriving at the dead-end street.

      The spokesperson noted that simultaneous requests from busy locations are common and that the system is designed to respond to such scenarios.

      "Waymo facilitates hundreds of thousands of fully autonomous trips weekly across five cities, with over 2,000 vehicles," the spokesperson said. "We continually refine our system to manage distribution at specific locations, ensuring that we balance our service’s physical reach with the need for a superior rider experience.”