Waymo builds new benchmark comparing its robotaxi reactions to human drivers in surprise scenarios

—Waymo has developed what it calls a more rigorous benchmark for evaluating autonomous vehicles against human drivers, using a simulated "virtual driver" to test how its robotaxi system handles unexpected road surprises. The Verge reports the simulator is designed to isolate how humans and the AI respond to the same sudden events, generating data that Waymo says shows its system outperforms average drivers in key surprise scenarios. TechCrunch notes the company is also making the benchmark methodology available for broader industry adoption, framing it as a potential new standard.