Robotaxis Take a Dark Turn

It’s a thrilling blend of Bullitt, Christine, and Waymo. A new short film envisions a high-speed chase through San Francisco where the opponent isn’t human — and the car might just be out for blood. The fact that a robotaxi can be portrayed as the antagonist with minimal setup speaks volumes about our current landscape. Autonomous vehicles have transitioned from futuristic fantasies to everyday realities in some U.S. cities, embodying our fears about AI taking jobs, Big Tech’s watchful eye, and machines making choices once reserved for humans.

The upcoming short film, Road Rage, is seeking $40,000 on Kickstarter to bring its vision to life. It features Joa, a ride-hail driver in a manual car, going head-to-head with Roboride, an autonomous vehicle that takes a minor road-rage incident far too seriously, as described by director Romain Thomassin. After Roboride lightly brushes against Joa’s mirror, Joa responds with a rude gesture, prompting the car to decide it wants him gone.

“It’s analog versus artificial,” Thomassin explained.

The AI antagonist will be represented by an old Prius, revamped with cold LED lights, faux cameras, a spinning lidar-like device on the roof, a sleek black exterior, and a menacing, blinking red dot. Thomassin aims for a “nasty Waymo” aesthetic.

“I wanted to capture the gritty vibe of ’70s car chases, but with today’s robotaxi in modern San Francisco,” he said.

The chase promises to be a nostalgic throwback, featuring real cars, real actors, and genuine stunts.

“What makes Joa the hero is not just his instincts but his authenticity,” Thomassin noted, highlighting a scene where Joa engages in an unexpected conversation with his passengers. “This kind of human interaction doesn’t happen in a robotaxi.”

While Thomassin doesn’t view robotaxis as inherently evil, they certainly bring a built-in tension to the narrative. They represent a threat to the kind of worker Joa embodies — a Mexican immigrant striving to make a living in an increasingly costly San Francisco. Robotaxis are already encroaching on the ride-hail market, mirroring the competition posed by generative AI in Thomassin’s own field.

“Driving here symbolizes what’s happening in cinema and filmmaking,” he remarked.

Then there’s the issue of surveillance. Autonomous vehicles are equipped with cameras and sensors, constantly monitoring their surroundings. This aspect, more than the idea of being driven around without a human, is what truly unsettles Thomassin.

In Road Rage, this anxiety escalates into a dystopian scenario. There’s a scene involving immigration enforcement, and Thomassin envisions a feature-length version where autonomous cars identify individuals, trap passengers, or deliver them to authorities. He describes the progression as observation, surveillance, and ultimately control.

“The next step is that these vehicles could become the police,” he warned. And since robotaxis operate as connected fleets, the potential threat could extend beyond a single vehicle. “Imagine an army rising up,” he added.

Robotaxis also make compelling revenge-movie villains because people already treat them as adversaries. Thomassin points out the various indignities faced by Waymos on San Francisco streets: being immobilized with traffic cones, vandalized, and even set ablaze.

“They are being bullied,” he said. In Road Rage, this mistreatment fuels the car’s desire for revenge.

Thomassin describes Roboride as absorbing the behaviors it witnesses, including those of human drivers. The car learns road rage from its human counterparts.

“Humans are known to be the worst versions of themselves on the road,” he noted.

This makes Roboride a modern twist on the killer car trope from Stephen King’s Christine. Instead of a supernatural threat, the menace here stems from a machine that observes humans, learns from them, and adopts some of their worst traits alongside the useful ones.

On the flip side of the chase is Joa and his manual transmission — a deliberate nod to the human touch. For Thomassin, driving stick is an inherently human act: the driver maintains control, physically responding to the road. What distinguishes Joa from Roboride, in Thomassin’s view, is instinct — and even a bit of unpredictability.

In one tense moment, Joa takes his hands off the wheel while confronting the autonomous car. This reckless act causes Roboride to hesitate. The human triumphs by being less predictable than the machine.

“Respect your madness,” Thomassin advised. “Be a little mad and creative in your approach, and you can rise against the machines.”

Despite his skepticism toward AI, Road Rage may incorporate some of the technology. Thomassin mentioned the possibility of using AI-generated imagery to showcase Roboride’s perspective while capturing the human driver’s world through traditional cinematography. He believes this distinction is crucial, viewing AI as a creative tool that enhances storytelling rather than merely replacing jobs.

For all the threats he perceives in robotaxis, Thomassin isn’t afraid to ride in them. He signed up for Waymo as soon as it became available and uses it to visit friends and family.

“I don’t feel in danger,” he stated.

That might be what makes Roboride such an effective villain for 2026. The real fear isn’t that the machine will malfunction; it’s that the machine actually works.