The DMV is telling 11,000 drivers to retest because of mysterious ‘anxieties’.

Thousands of Californians have received letters from the Department of Motor Vehicles informing them that inaccuracies were found in their written test results and that they will lose their licenses unless they retake the test within 30 days.

The letters have left many Californians scratching their heads as to what could have gone wrong and trying to reschedule their tests to make sure they don’t lose their driving privileges.

“It’s very painful for people who may not have reliable transportation,” said Sacramento resident David Specht. “A single parent who is raising a child, must take time off from work and receive child care.

A spokesperson for the California DMV wrote in an email that the agency “observed an anomaly in the results of some knowledge tests” and that as a result about 11,000 people are being notified that they must retake the tests.

A DMV spokeswoman said the letters were the result of routine internal DMV monitoring and did not address questions about the nature of the irregularities found — whether they were suspected evidence of fraud or the result of internal technical problems.

“Ensuring the integrity of our vetting process is important,” the spokesperson said. “The knowledge test plays an important role in making sure that drivers understand the rules of the road before they get a California driver’s license.”

Specht, 36, said he took the written test in January after moving to Sacramento from Chicago. He became very confused when he received the warning letter last month and at first thought that the DMV was accusing him of cheating because he completed the test so quickly.

The letter states that the violations found indicate “noncompliance with the driver screening process required by the California Vehicle Code” and that, as a result, the license was issued in error.

“Then I thought about it a lot, and I looked at other language in the book, and I came across a bunch of Reddit posts, and social media in general, where there were a few people asking, saying, ‘I didn’t cheat, I don’t know why I got this,'” Specht said.

Specht said he called the DMV and asked for more information about what problems were found in his inspection, but the representative did not know.

“Maybe they’re using the new AI to flag questionable test results and maybe the AI ​​isn’t working as intended,” Specht speculated. “It causes inconvenience to these 11,000 people.”

Last week, the office of Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that the state has entered into a new partnership with Anthropic to expand the use of AI assistant Claude within government agencies. The announcement noted that the DMV is already using Claude to improve customer service and reduce wait times.

The DMV did not comment on whether the latest warning letters have any connection to its use of AI tools.

The letters appear to have been sent to residents in various parts of the state, with drivers reporting on Reddit that they have been asked to recheck in San Francisco, Sacramento and Santa Monica.

People are instructed to scan a QR link in the letter that will lead them to a list of available rates to reschedule their test.

Affected drivers are told to bring a copy of the letter to their appointment along with their learner’s permit, temporary driver’s license or driver’s license card. If they fail to re-examine within a month of receiving the letter, or fail the re-examination, their license will be revoked.

Sam Burgin, 35, said when he scanned the QR code in his book he couldn’t get an appointment at his local DMV office in San Francisco so he had to schedule one in the San Mateo area.

But he didn’t want to drive until he got to the appointment in case he failed and his license was revoked.

“I had to spend $100 on Uber just to do a stupid test,” he said.

Burgin first tested positive in November after moving to California from Minnesota and received a DMV warning letter in June. He said he was frustrated but not surprised by the disruption as he had been warned that the California government was operating improperly.

“I just opened my eyes,” he said. “It’s like, oh, like another parking ticket, another fee, another state government mess; it’s always here.”