In Senate hot seat, Waymo denies overseas ‘response agents’ secretly operate its driverless taxis

Waymo’s chief safety officer was not exactly clear when it came to questions about the company using overseas operators.

Mauricio Pena faced tough questions from U.S. senators last week when he was asked if Waymo employs humans who remotely assist its driverless taxis through difficult driving scenarios.

‘It’s one thing when a taxi is replaced by an Uber or a Lyft. It’s another thing when the jobs just go completely overseas.’

The question came from Senator Ed Markey (D-Mass.) during a hearing on commerce, science, and transportation. Pena submitted testimony titled “Hit the Road, Mac: The Future of Self-Driving Cars,” which promoted his company as an “American innovation success story” while urging lawmakers to advance legislation for self-driving cars.

However, it was the grilling from Senator Markey that got the most attention online.

“Senator, they provide guidance. They do not remotely drive the vehicles,” Pena told Markey. “As you stated, Waymo asks for guidance in certain situations and gets an input, but the Waymo vehicle is always in charge of the dynamic driving tasks, so that is just one additional input.”

Seeking more clarification, Markey asked, “But the human being helps the vehicle to navigate those difficult driving scenarios. Is that correct?”

“Yes,” Pena replied.

The safety executive went on to admit that at least some of these agents operate remotely from the Philippines, but he was unable to state a percentage or figure as to how many overseas agents Waymo employs.

“I just don’t have that number,” Pena told the committee.

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Senator Markey called the admission “fairly shocking” and said it was “completely unacceptable” to have people overseas influencing American vehicles. He then listed a string of possible safety issues, such as out-of-date information, lack of roadway knowledge, or not having a U.S. driver’s license.

“Let’s not forget,” Markey added, “Waymo is trying to replace the jobs of hardworking taxi and rideshare drivers. And now you’re saying that of the human beings, the human jobs that remain in the system, you’re shipping those jobs overseas. It’s one thing when a taxi is replaced by an Uber or a Lyft. It’s another thing when the jobs just go completely overseas.”

Across multiple outlets, Waymo sought to clarify what exactly its remote operators do and do not control.

In an interview with Decrypt, a Waymo spokesperson said the company does not consider its remote operators to be drivers. Furthermore, Waymo rejected the idea that humans control its taxis in real time.

“Their role is not to drive the vehicle remotely. They’re not remote drivers,” the spokesperson explained. “They answer, generally speaking, multiple-choice questions posed to them by the vehicle.”

The representative maintained that “all of the driving happens on board” the vehicle and does not happen remotely.

Addressing the safety concerns, the spokesperson said that both U.S.-based and foreign response agents are licensed and trained for the regions they support.

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Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images

All the agents have a “vehicle or van driver’s license,” the spokesperson went on, stating that human input is contextual and not direct commands.

“The human offers a suggestion in a challenging scenario, and the Waymo Driver will take that suggestion into account when making its next decision.”

In regard to its foreign hiring, the company told People that its reason for outsourcing to the Philippines was an effort to scale the company globally.

These “fleet response” agents allegedly undergo regular driving history checks, People reported. However, the outlet also said that Waymo did not provide any information on how many remote operators are located in the U.S. or abroad.

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