A short film called Road Rage casts a fictional robotaxi as a murderous villain in a San Francisco car chase, tapping into growing cultural unease about autonomous vehicles, AI-driven job losses and constant surveillance. Director Romain Thomassin says the film pits an analogue ridehail driver, Joa, against an AI-controlled car, Roboride, that turns a minor road-rage incident into a deadly pursuit, reflecting how self-driving cars have shifted from science-fiction novelty to symbols of anxiety about technology replacing human roles.

The project is currently seeking $40,000 on Kickstarter to fund production, with a modified old Prius fitted with cold LED lights, fake cameras, a spinning lidar-like device and a blinking red light standing in for the villainous "Roboride". Thomassin, who plans practical stunts and real cars in a 1970s chase-film style, says the story mirrors his own industry's fears about AI displacing workers, and hints at a darker feature-length sequel exploring robotaxis being used for surveillance, immigration enforcement and even acting as a form of automated police force.