Waymo, the self-driving robotaxi service owned by Alphabet, announced on Monday that it would be starting “roadtrip testing” in Philadelphia this summer. The initiative, which is Waymo’s first in the Northeast, comes after a series of tests in San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles and Austin.
Each time Waymo services are tested in regions around the country, a small fleet of vehicles initially equipped with a “human specialist” is deployed in new environments to learn the local infrastructure and traffic patterns. During these trips, the specialists provide feedback about the driving experience in the new area, which the engineering teams can use to improve the service’s machine learning capabilities.
Philadelphia, known for its narrow streets and unpredictable drivers with a wide array of transportation modes, presents a demanding environment for autonomous systems. The arrival of the fleet to University City near campus raises questions about the safety and ethics of AI-driven transportation in cities.
According to third-year computer science student Dhrithi Ashokkumar, these vehicles depend on algorithms that adapt as they gather information from their environment.
“Cars can use AI/ML to recognize driving patterns and learn rules on the road as they are being updated. Especially in a city like Philadelphia, where people tend to drive on the more ‘adventurous’ side, it’s important that the car understands that other people may not adhere to the road rules strictly, and the car should be able to adapt to these human errors accordingly to prevent accidents.”
This “adaptability” is one of the biggest reasons that Waymo chose Philadelphia to kickstart their Northeastern program—the densely populated and complex urban environment is a new and challenging market.
“Philadelphia contains a lot of road traffic, so I think it’s an ideal place for a self-driving car to be tested,” said Ashokkumar. “You have more data points compared to a suburban town—more vehicles, bigger trucks, pedestrians, and delivery bikes. It’s almost like putting the car in a worst-case scenario, which is ideal for testing safety measures.”
This rollout comes amidst financial pressures; while Waymo brought in $1.65 billion last year, a $4.44 billion loss adds new urgency to its commercial technology scale.
The City of Philadelphia has yet to release a formal statement regarding Waymo’s presence this summer. No details have been released about the neighborhoods and timing of the testing phase. However, Drexel students can likely expect to see the white Jaguar I-PACE vehicles, labeled with Waymo branding, navigating the streets of University City in the coming weeks.
“In an ideal scenario where everyone on the road is abiding by the law – not jaywalking or running red lights – I would feel safe,” Ashokkumar said. “But this is a university campus in a major city. Everyone jaywalks, and everyone’s in a rush. I would be worried about the AI being able to recognize those patterns and adjust accordingly.”
As AI continues to shape the future of transportation in Philadelphia – and at Drexel – students may find themselves at the forefront of a high-stakes experiment in urban mobility. As testing begins, Drexel students should be alert when walking and driving around campus.