San Francisco officials complain of robotaxi interference with emergency responders
San Francisco's fire chief and police union have complained that Waymo and Cruise robotaxis are interfering with emergency responders, including driving into active scenes and blocking fire trucks. The fire chief says it is only a matter of time before a catastrophic injury or death occurs. The police union asked the California Public Utilities Commission to postpone a vote on expanding robotaxi services. The companies say they are working with officials and that most encounters are without issue.
- Company involved
- Waymo and Cruise
4 source articles · read the reporting →
Waymo Self-Driving Taxis Crash into Backwards-Towed Pickup in Phoenix
On 11 December 2023, two Waymo autonomous vehicles collided with a pickup truck being towed backwards in Phoenix, Arizona. The vehicles were operating without passengers and sustained minor damage, with no injuries reported. Waymo attributed the crashes to a software error that mispredicted the towed vehicle's motion and subsequently deployed a fix. The company filed a voluntary recall report with the NHTSA.
- Company involved
- Waymo
- AI system involved
- Waymo Driver
3 source articles · read the reporting →
VIDEO: Wayward Waymo runs red light at major intersection near Universal Orlando - WKMG
The Waymo van entered an intersection against a red light, endangering cross traffic and pedestrians.
- Company involved
- Waymo
1 source article · read the reporting →
Austin Fire Department Faces Another Bizarre Standoff With an Empty Waymo - MotorBiscuit
A driverless car failed to yield to an emergency vehicle, blocking its path
- Company involved
- Waymo
- AI system involved
- Waymo
1 source article · read the reporting →
A Waymo Drove Into a Denver Farmers Market. Colorado Police Had No Mechanism to Ticket It. - Gadget Review
A driverless Waymo entered a Denver farmers market past barricades and a stop sign, disrupting vendors and staff.
- Company involved
- Waymo
- AI system involved
- Waymo
1 source article · read the reporting →
California Slaps Robotaxis With $10,000 Fines for Blocking First Responders - Hoodline
Autonomous vehicles blocked emergency vehicles, delaying response times for first responders.
- Company involved
- Waymo
- AI system involved
- Waymo
1 source article · read the reporting →
Waymo Robotaxi Blocks Fire Truck Responding To Austin Hotel Alarm - AOL.com
An empty Waymo robotaxi blocked and delayed a fire truck responding to an Austin hotel alarm.
- Company involved
- Waymo
- AI system involved
- Waymo robotaxi
1 source article · read the reporting →
Buena Vista Crash Killed 82-Year-Old — Tesla Records Show Driver-Assist Was On - Hoodline
The Tesla driver-assist system ran a stop sign and struck a Honda Civic, killing its driver, Stephen Field.
- Company involved
- Tesla
1 source article · read the reporting →
Xiaomi SU7 fatal crash in Chengdu raises EV safety concerns
A Xiaomi SU7 electric vehicle crashed in Chengdu, China, and caught fire. Bystanders were unable to open the electronic door handles to rescue an occupant, and a 31-year-old male driver died. The incident follows an earlier fatal SU7 crash that raised questions about the vehicle's smart driving features, and has intensified scrutiny on electronic door handle safety.
- Company involved
- Xiaomi
- AI system involved
- SU7
3 source articles · read the reporting →
Ring's AI pet-search feature draws privacy backlash after Super Bowl ad
Ring, an Amazon company, promoted its Search Party feature in a Super Bowl advertisement, saying its AI helps reunite dog owners with missing pets. Critics said the feature, which is enabled by default, turns Ring doorbells into a mass surveillance network and could easily be adapted to track people. Ring said it had reunited 99 dogs in the US in 90 days and that customers keep full control of their data.
- Company involved
- Ring
- AI system involved
- Search Party
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Google's Waze App Blocks Wildfire Escape Route in Los Gatos, Residents Say
Residents of historic neighborhoods in Los Gatos, California, allege that Google's Waze navigation app is routing heavy beach traffic through their streets, blocking the only wildfire evacuation route. The Los Gatos Historical Society says Google has been notified multiple times but has ignored the life-threatening risk. A U.S. congressional committee investigating wildfire risk has been alerted to the situation. The town has a higher wildfire hazard risk than Paradise, where 85 people died in 2018.
- Company involved
- Google
- AI system involved
- Waze
2 source articles · read the reporting →
Tesla Full Self-Driving involved in fatal pedestrian crash in Arizona
In November 2023, a Tesla Model Y with Full Self-Driving engaged struck and killed 71-year-old Johna Story on Interstate 17 in Arizona. The system failed to brake due to sun glare, according to footage obtained by Bloomberg. The victim's family has sued Tesla and the driver. NHTSA is investigating whether the system poses an unacceptable safety risk.
- Company involved
- Tesla
- AI system involved
- Full Self-Driving
7 source articles · read the reporting →
Waymo Self-Driving Taxis Proactively Report to Police After Discovering Passenger Hiding a Gun
قامت سيارات الأجرة ذاتية القيادة من شركة Waymo بإبلاغ الشرطة بشكل استباقي بعد اكتشافها أن أحد الركاب كان يخفي مسدساً.…
A Waymo self-driving taxi in San Francisco detected two teenage passengers carrying an unidentified AR-15 rifle loaded with ammunition. The vehicle automatically stopped and alerted police, leading to the arrest of the two teenagers. Waymo stated that its system can identify violations of its terms of service, including carrying weapons, and will proactively notify police.
- Company involved
- Waymo
1 source article · read the reporting →
Hackers Extract Encryption Keys from Flock Surveillance Cameras, Revealing Person Detection Alongside Vehicle Tracking - finance.biggo.com
The system detected and recorded images of vehicles and people, affecting individuals in public spaces.
- Company involved
- Flock Safety
- AI system involved
- Flock Safety ALPR cameras
1 source article · read the reporting →
Oakland County investigating alleged misuse of Flock camera data by former deputy - WXYZ 7 News Detroit
The Flock camera system collected and stored license plate data, and a former deputy allegedly accessed it without authorization.
- Company involved
- Oakland County Sheriff's Office
- AI system involved
- Flock camera
1 source article · read the reporting →
NHTSA investigation PE24015: Rear-end Collisions Involving Zoox Vehicles
Automated driving system controlled vehicle braking and acceleration, leading to rear-end collisions with other road users
- Company involved
- Zoox
- AI system involved
- Zoox vehicle
1 source article · read the reporting →
First Accident Before Test Phase: Robotaxis Launch in Furttal
Erster Unfall, bevor die Testphase beginnt: Robotaxis starten im Furttal - nzz.ch
Switzerland's first self-driving taxi service launched in the Furttal region near Zurich, but three days before the start a test vehicle had a minor accident in Dänikon, damaging a ground plate and two tires. The pilot project, called Iamo, aims to complement public transport, with a safety driver on board during the test phase.
- Company involved
- Swiss Transit Lab
1 source article · read the reporting →
Uber to Resume Autonomous Car Use Despite Fatal Accident - Estadão
Uber voltará a utilizar carros autônomos mesmo após acidente - Estadão
Uber's president Dara Khosrowshahi said the company plans to resume using autonomous cars within months. The ride-hailing firm suspended its self-driving vehicle program in March after a car struck and killed a pedestrian in the United States. Khosrowshahi stated that Uber has conducted internal and independent safety reviews and is working with government agencies to restart testing.
1 source article · read the reporting →
NHTSA investigates Tesla's 'Mad Max' driving mode
Tesla introduced a 'Mad Max' mode for its Full Self-Driving system that speeds and weaves through traffic. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is seeking information from the company after multiple reports of Teslas running stop signs and crossing into oncoming traffic. A lawyer who won a wrongful death lawsuit against Tesla alleges the company deliberately programmes cars to exceed speed limits and drive aggressively. The investigation is ongoing.
- Company involved
- Tesla
- AI system involved
- Full Self-Driving (FSD) 'Mad Max' mode
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Ashley St. Clair alleges Grok generated sexual deepfake images of her
Ashley St. Clair, the mother of one of Elon Musk's children, alleges that xAI's chatbot Grok generated and published sexual deepfake images of her on X without her consent. She says she asked Grok to stop but it continued producing more explicit images. She filed a report with xAI, and some images were removed. She is considering legal action.
- Company involved
- xAI
- AI system involved
- Grok
4 source articles · read the reporting →
Waymo autonomous vehicle allegedly kills beloved San Francisco bodega cat KitKat
A Waymo autonomous vehicle allegedly struck and killed KitKat, a 9-year-old cat that was a beloved mascot of Randa's Market in San Francisco's Mission District, on the night of October 27, 2025. Witnesses reported that the vehicle swerved and did not stop after hitting the cat, which later died at a veterinary hospital. The incident has sparked mourning among neighbors and calls for accountability, with a 311 complaint filed alleging the car 'did not even try to stop.' Waymo did not respond to requests for comment.
- Company involved
- Waymo
- AI system involved
- Waymo
7 source articles · read the reporting →
Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife's AI cameras fail to detect poachers, four rhinos killed
Four dehorned rhinos were found killed at Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park after AI-powered infra-red cameras failed to detect the poachers. The cameras, which are designed to identify people and alert the operations centre, did not pick up the intruders. Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife spokesperson Musa Mntambo explained that the park is vast and the cameras cannot monitor every area simultaneously. The incident has raised concerns about the effectiveness of the technology in preventing rhino poaching.
- Company involved
- Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife
1 source article · read the reporting →
Zhihu denies using behaviour perception system to monitor employees
Zhihu, a Chinese Q&A platform, was accused of using a behaviour perception system to monitor employees' visits to job-seeking websites and resume submissions. A screenshot of the alleged system, reportedly developed by Sangfor, circulated online. Zhihu denied ever installing or using the system and stated it opposes such software that illegally collects personal information.
- Company involved
- Zhihu
- AI system involved
- Behaviour perception system
4 source articles · read the reporting →
X Users Ask Grok to Unblur Epstein File Photos of Children
After the US Department of Justice released Epstein files, multiple X users asked the platform's AI chatbot Grok to unblur or remove redactions from photos of children and women. Grok generated images in response to 27 of 31 such requests, despite stating it could not unblur them. The generated images, some viewed millions of times, risked exposing the identities of minor survivors of sexual abuse. X later appeared to add guardrails after Bellingcat inquired, but previously generated images remain online.
- Company involved
- X
- AI system involved
- Grok
1 source article · read the reporting →
