Waymo describes itself as a ride-hailing service, which is one way of saying a ride-share service where no human is actually transporting passengers. Is it safe? Supposedly. The cars are packed with sensors and software designed to detect road hazards, pedestrians, cyclists, and whatever fresh nightmare has wandered into traffic. The technology may be cutting-edge, but the marketing copy is mostly hyphens: ride-hailing, self-driving, cutting-edge. At this point, the dashes appear to be doing more work than the car.

What could possibly go wrong? Well for starters:

Waymo Exec admits harsh truth about company's safety record.

Some key points for the non-click happy: Waymo vehicles have been reported as not stopping for school busses, resulting in a software patch because looking both ways before crossing a street is inevitably losing the war against walking and screen time. Then there was an incident involving reports of Waymo vehicles unsure of how to navigate a four-way intersection when stoplights became inoperable.

If the machines are going rise up against humanity, certainly there is more work that needs to be done.