11
Just realized my town's new 'smart' traffic system is making biased decisions about which neighborhoods get priority
They installed it last month in Springfield. It uses cameras and an AI to adjust light timing. I live on the east side, mostly older homes and apartments. My friend lives in the new west side development. We both leave for work at 7:30 AM. It takes him 12 minutes to get downtown now. It takes me 22, and I get stopped at three extra lights that never used to be red that long. I looked at the city council notes, and the system's goal is to 'optimize overall flow.' But it feels like it's just favoring the newer, wealthier area with straighter roads. Has anyone else seen an AI public system that seems to have baked-in bias like this? How do you even argue against an algorithm?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
blakestone12d ago
You mentioning the "optimize overall flow" goal is what got me. I used to think that was just tech talk for making things better for everyone. But your example shows how that can really mean "screw over the older streets to help the new ones." If the system only sees cars as data points, it's going to favor the easier, straighter routes every time. That's not smart, it's just lazy math dressed up as progress. Now I'm wondering what else they're "optimizing" without realizing who they're hurting.
6
jana88112d ago
Wait, they're really just looking at cars as data points? That's messed up.
3