Whether residents of Massachusetts like it or not, the future is here and autonomous cars are being tested in the Boston area. Waymo, which is subsidiary of Alphabet Inc. (Google), is the company making these vehicles proclaiming a mission of safety, reliability, and availability.

Waymo One (Jaguar)

The Waymo vehicle seen below has logged over 40 million miles so far and has reported 78% less crashes than human drivers!

Waymo's self driving electric cars already operate in major U.S. cities like Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Austin, with plans to expand to Miami, Atlanta, and Tokyo. cbsnews.com

AI is here to stay.

Driving my Toyota Sienna van this past weekend feels close to autonomous. Radar controlled cruise, crash preventive brake assist, lane drift assist. I had my hand off the steering wheel for about 25 seconds it felt like before I was prompted to return my hands to it.

How does it work?

This system integrates advanced sensors - lidar, radar, and 29 cameras along with AI to navigate roads with a 360-degree view, responding to complex traffic scenarios without human intervention.

Massachusetts is currently in the middle of a six week data gathering phase in which these cars are being tested. There are trained humans behind the wheel. In particular, the vehicles are being driven on Boston’s streets and highways, including I-90 and I-93, and neighborhoods like Mission Hill, East Boston, Cambridge, Somerville, and South Boston.

When will Waymo launch in Massachusetts?

Boston has a unique culture of drivers and there is the city is carved out of old cow paths, so it's expected that the test phase will last for a bit. As far as a time frame for Waymo to launch the autonomous cars, there isn't one for the ride hailing service.

Public sentiment in Boston is mixed, with some residents wary of driverless cars due to safety concerns, while others see potential for safer, more accessible transit.