Waymo Vehicle ‘Standoff’ in San Francisco Street Exposes a Weakness, AI Expert Says

Autonomous vehicles are designed to avoid risk and can exhibit over-cautious behavior, according to San Jose State University Professor Ahmed Banafa.

A self-driving Waymo vehicle awaits passengers in Los Angeles on July 1, 2025. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

SAN FRANCISCO—A video of three Waymo autonomous vehicles (AVs) having a “standoff” on a street in San Francisco has gone viral on social media. An artificial intelligence (AI) expert said this incident exposes a weakness in AVs.

In the video clip, which was posted on TikTok on Dec. 6, one Waymo driverless car is facing uphill in a neighborhood and has slightly collided with another Waymo car that was apparently pulling out of a driveway. The cars have both stopped in the street and are blocking a third Waymo car that was trying to go down the road.