AI incident ·
Waymo Robotaxi Reportedly Obstructed Ambulance Responding to Austin Mass Shooting
In brief
An AI system built by Waymo and Automated Driving System Developers and deployed by Waymo, Robotaxi Operators and 1 other allegedly harmed Road Users, Patients and 3 others.
- Risk domain
- Not classified
- Occurred
- Coverage
- 4 reports
What happened
During the response to a mass shooting on West Sixth Street in Austin, Texas, a Waymo robotaxi reportedly stopped across a street while traveling to pick up a passenger, briefly blocking an ambulance. Video reportedly showed the vehicle inching forward as police arrived; an officer contacted Waymo through its speaker system, after which the vehicle moved into a parking garage. Austin-Travis County EMS said the delay was resolved without significant effects on patient care or operations.
Laws that address this harm
No recorded instrument yet addresses this use case where it happened. See the open queue.
Matched from the record's risk domain and country to the instruments recorded here. A reviewer can correct the match in the repository (data/external/incident_overrides.yaml).
News reports (4)
Titles link to the original publisher; report text is not reproduced here.
Who was involved
- Alleged deployer
- Waymo, Robotaxi Operators, Automated Driving System Deployers
- Alleged developer
- Waymo, Automated Driving System Developers
- Alleged harmed party
- Road Users, Patients, Emergency Medical Responders, Emergency Medical Patients, Austin Travis County Ems
Classification (MIT AI Risk Repository taxonomy)
- Risk domain
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- Risk subdomain
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- Causal entity
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- Intent
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- Timing
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- Harm level
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Other incidents involving Waymo, Robotaxi Operators, Automated Driving System Deployers
- Waymo Robotaxi Reportedly Remained Immobilized While Vandals Smashed Vehicle with Passenger Inside
- Waymo Robotaxi Reportedly Entered Flooded San Antonio Roadway and Was Swept Into Waterway
- Waymo Robotaxi Reportedly Entered Phoenix Light-Rail Tracks, Prompting Passenger to Exit
- Two Waymo Robotaxis Allegedly Contributed to Bike-Lane Collision That Injured San Francisco Cyclist
Source record: incident #1543 on the AI Incident Database · all 4 reports