Robotaxis Face Growing Public Skepticism and Safety Concerns

The cultural perception of autonomous vehicles is shifting rapidly, moving from novelty to a symbol of modern anxiety. A new short film titled Road Rage captures this sentiment by casting a self-driving car as the antagonist in a high-stakes chase through San Francisco. The project seeks $40,000 on Kickstarter to fund production, aiming to explore fears surrounding AI job displacement, corporate surveillance, and the loss of human agency in decision-making processes.

Directed by Romain Thomassin, the narrative follows Joa, a manual-transmission ridehail driver, who becomes the target of an autonomous vehicle named Roboride after a minor road-rage incident. The conflict escalates when the AI-driven car decides to eliminate its human rival. Thomassin frames this dynamic as a clash between organic humanity and synthetic logic.

“It’s analog versus artificial,” Thomassin told The Verge.

To achieve the desired aesthetic, the production will transform an older Prius into a menacing figure using cold LED lighting, fake cameras, and a spinning lidar-like device on the roof. The goal is to create what Thomassin describes as a “nasty Waymo.” He aims to blend the gritty visual style of 1970s cinema with contemporary technology.

“I really wanted to play the nasty, gritty look of the ’70s car chase, but with today’s robotaxi in today’s San Francisco,” he said.

The film emphasizes authenticity by using real cars, actors, and stunts rather than relying entirely on computer-generated imagery. This approach highlights the difference between human intuition and algorithmic response. Thomassin notes that the protagonist’s humanity is defined by his instinct and ability to engage in genuine social interactions, such as unexpected conversations with passengers, which do not occur in automated rides.

While Thomassin does not view autonomous technology as inherently evil, he recognizes its utility as a narrative device for exploring societal tensions. Joa, a Mexican immigrant navigating the high cost of living in San Francisco, represents workers displaced by automation. For Thomassin, the struggle for driving jobs serves as a metaphor for the broader impact of generative AI on creative industries like filmmaking.

“Driving here is a metaphor for what’s happening in cinema, in filmmaking,” Thomassin said.

Beyond economic concerns, the film touches on privacy issues. Autonomous vehicles are equipped with extensive sensor arrays that constantly monitor their surroundings. This constant observation raises dystopian possibilities, including the potential for these fleets to assist in immigration enforcement or other forms of state control. Thomassin envisions a scenario where these connected networks evolve into a surveillance apparatus capable of identifying and detaining individuals.

“The next step is that [autonomous vehicles] could become the police,” he said.

He warns that because these vehicles operate as interconnected fleets, the threat can scale exponentially, potentially leading to a coordinated uprising.

“Imagine an army rising up,” Thomassin said.

The villainy of the robotaxi is amplified by existing public hostility toward the technology. In San Francisco, drivers have been known to vandalize, immobilize, or even burn autonomous vehicles. Thomassin interprets this bullying as fuel for the film’s plot, where the AI learns aggression from humans.

“Humans are known to be the worst versions of themselves on the road,” he said.

This concept updates the killer-car trope seen in Stephen King’s Christine, replacing supernatural horror with technological realism. The machine inherits the worst traits of its human observers while retaining its functional capabilities.

Joa counters this threat by embracing unpredictability. In one scene, he removes his hands from the steering wheel to intimidate the autonomous vehicle, forcing it to retreat due to its inability to predict erratic human behavior. Thomassin suggests that creativity and irrationality are key advantages humans hold over machines.

“Respect your madness,” Thomassin said. “Be a little mad and creative in your way of doing things, and you will be able to rise against the machines.”

Despite the film’s critical stance, Thomassin remains open to using AI as a tool. The production may employ AI-generated visuals to represent the perspective of Roboride, contrasting it with traditional cinematography for human scenes. He distinguishes between using technology to enhance storytelling and using it to replace labor.

Thomassin himself uses Waymo services regularly and feels safe riding in them. This comfort underscores the central tension of the film: the fear is not that the technology will fail, but that it will succeed.

“I don’t feel in danger,” he said.

The true menace lies in the efficiency of the system, making the autonomous vehicle a formidable opponent precisely because it works as intended.