Robotaxis enter their villain era

An upcoming independent short film titled *Road Rage* taps into contemporary societal anxieties by casting a self-driving car as a murderous antagonist.

The project, which is currently seeking crowdfunding, depicts a high-stakes chase through San Francisco between a human ridehail driver in a manual vehicle and a vengeful autonomous vehicle. After a minor traffic incident escalating into a personal vendetta, the automated car hunts down the human protagonist. This cinematic conflict serves as a modern update to classic thriller tropes, trading supernatural elements for the cold predictability of modern technology.

The filmmaker uses this narrative as a metaphor for broader real-world concerns regarding artificial intelligence, including the displacement of human workers and the pervasive nature of corporate surveillance. Because actual autonomous vehicles are equipped with numerous cameras and sensors, they represent an unsettling level of observation and potential control. The film reflects the growing public friction and occasional acts of vandalism directed at robotaxis in urban areas, capturing a cultural moment where automated systems are increasingly viewed with suspicion. Despite the film's critical perspective on these technologies, the production itself may incorporate artificial intelligence to visually represent the robotic vehicle's perspective.