Preprints mislead AV bias claims

Media and advocacy groups sometimes treat preprints and early bloggy reports as settled evidence; when peer review or improved methods reverse or nullify those headline results, the original (false) narrative persists and shapes policy discourse about technologies like Waymo long after the evidence changes. — If policymakers and the public act on preliminary, unreproduced analyses, regulators may overreact, companies may face unfair restrictions, and public trust in both science and technology can be damaged.