Driverless cars are beginning to display human-like behaviors like impatience on the roads, in a sign of increased intelligence in the robotaxis.
The chilling development was identified by University of San Francisco engineering Professor William Riggs, who has been studying Waymo cars since their inception.
On a journey with a reporter from the San Francisco Chronicle, the pair noticed the Waymo they were traveling in crept to a rolling start at a pedestrian crossing before the person had reached the other footpath.
The subtle movement was reminiscent of the way humans act behind the wheel, but a strange occurrence for the robotic Waymo, which prides itself on being safer than a driver because it errs on the side of caution and leaves no room for human error.
The action of letting the foot gently off the break moments before they should to allow the car to begin creeping forward at a rolling pace displays a sense of impatience - a human reaction not previously seen in the robotic cars.
'From an evolutionary standpoint, you're seeing a lot more anticipation and assertiveness from the vehicles,' Riggs said.
Up until this point, Waymo taxis have been known to follow the road rules down to the letter, sometimes causing frustration among motorists.
But robotaxis are designed to constantly gather information about road conditions, and the algorithm is often fine-tuned to ensure the product is the best it can be.