How accurate is Bengaluru’s AI traffic enforcement? | Explained
Bengaluru's AI-based traffic enforcement system incorrectly fined a motorist for pillion riding without a helmet after misidentifying a guitar on his back as a person. The incident has sparked a debate regarding the accuracy of AI in policing and the necessity of human oversight.
Why it matters
It illustrates the limitations of automated surveillance systems and the risks of algorithmic bias in public administration.
The story so far: In mid-September, a Bengaluru motorist was issued an online traffic violation challan . When he checked the Bengaluru Traffic Police’s e-challan website, he found that he had been issued a challan for pillion riding without a helmet, even though he had no pillion on his scooter. Soon, he realised the reason: he had been wrongly flagged by the BTP’s Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based violation flagging system for the guitar strapped to his back, which was mistaken for a human.
A senior traffic police officer explained to The Hindu that it was a judgement error by the AI camera, part of the BTP’s Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS), which subsequently went through a manual review. However, a challan was issued due to human oversight as well.
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