Waymo’s autonomous cars disrupt neighborhood residents’ sleep | Festina Lente - Your leading source of AI news | Turtles AI

 Residents of South of Market, San Francisco, are forced to deal with unusual nighttime noises caused by Waymo’s self-driving cars honking at each other in a parking lot. 

Key points:
1. Waymo’s self-driving cars disrupt the South of Market neighborhood in San Francisco by honking their horns at night.
2. Accidents occur in a parking lot on 2nd Street near Harrison Street, and residents are exasperated by the situation.
3. Waymo has recognized the problem and is working on a solution to prevent further disruption.
4. The lack of human operators in the vehicles has complicated the immediate handling of the problem, increasing frustration among residents.

In a scenario that seems to come straight out of a surreal tale, residents of South of Market in San Francisco are experiencing sleepless nights as a result of Waymo’s self-driving cars making a habit of honking at each other in a parking lot. This phenomenon, described by residents as irritating and disconcerting, began several weeks ago when Waymo vehicles began using a parking lot on 2nd Street, near Harrison Street, as a stopping point between runs. However, the behavior of the cars has proven problematic: the cars, all driverless, seem to respond automatically to the presence of others, honking their horns continuously and disturbing the quiet of the neighborhood, especially at night.

Christopher Cherry, a resident of a building adjacent to the parking lot, initially viewed the arrival of the Waymo vehicles with optimism, hoping for improved safety in the area. However, as the number of vehicles and resulting nighttime honking incidents increased, the initial enthusiasm was replaced by frustration. The problem escalated to the point that residents, tired of being woken up in the middle of the night, decided to report the incident to Waymo headquarters.

The issue was made even more complicated by the fact that, since there are no drivers on board, there is no immediate contact person to whom residents can turn to request that the noise be stopped. Only after the press intervened, with an NBC Bay Area report bringing the issue to the public’s attention, did Waymo officially acknowledge the existence of the problem. A company spokesperson said that the cause of the automatic horns had been identified and that action was being taken to resolve the situation.

The incident also drew the attention of James Vincent, a well-known author and technology journalist, who commented wryly on X, pointing out that this incident is an emblematic example of modern technology that increasingly seems to be responding to its own needs rather than those of its users. Vincent noted that a parking lot full of empty cars "talking" to each other through the horn without any human intervention offers a paradoxical and, in a sense, satirical image of the direction in which technological innovation is moving.

While Waymo is busy fixing the problem, South of Market residents continue to hope for quieter nights, hoping that the technology can soon return to being a tool that benefits rather than disrupts the community.