Every day something happens on the news that sounds like a Cyberpunk 2077 sidequest, whether that be stories of AI-induced psychosis or pilotable robots running around cities like Los Angeles. But those stories mostly share the RPG’s dystopian vibes, gesturing toward a future Cyberpunk 2077 warns us about and reminds us is much closer than we realize. Now, however, we have at least one example of life very literally imitating art, with a pack of wild self-driving cars going rogue and pulling a mysterious stunt in Atlanta.
Channel 2 Action News in Atlanta reports that the self-driving Waymo cars that are typically used for Uber rides were gathering in a northwest Atlanta neighborhood and circling a cul-de-sac. One citizen says they estimated that around 50 cars drive through their neighborhoods on a dead-end street, typically in the mornings from 6 to 7 a.m.
According to folks living on Battleview Drive, this odd, but consistent parade of driverless cars started around March, and the aimless circling around the cul-de-sac began in recent weeks. When one person put a Step2Kid sign in the street and blocked the Waymos from entering the cul-de-sac, it resulted in eight automated cars getting stuck as they tried to “figure out how to turn around.”
Waymo didn’t respond to the neighborhood’s attempts to find out what was going on, with several worried that automated cars could hurt some of the kids and animals who live in the area.
“We’re families, we have small animals and pets, got kids getting on the bus in the morning, and it just doesn’t feel safe to have that traffic,” a neighbor told Channel 2 Action News.
Waymo released the following statement to the station:
At Waymo, we are committed to being good neighbors. We take community feedback seriously and have already addressed this routing behavior. With over 500,000 weekly trips across the country, our service is proven to significantly reduce traffic injuries and improve road safety. We value our relationship with Atlanta residents and remain focused on providing a seamless, respectful, and safe experience for riders and residents alike.
Anyone who’s played Cyberpunk 2077 knows there’s an entire quest line about self-driving cars called “Epistrophy,” in which the player must travel around Night City, dealing with the various Delamain AI personalities that inhabit the cars, wreaking havoc on the citizens. These Waymo cars may not have had AI personalities installed in them, but it’s another reminder that a lot of CD Projekt Red and R. Talsorian Games’ speculative ideasd about a grim, dark future might not actually be that that far off.