Systems for fighting fare evaders one step too far in terms of mass surveillance?

25

September

2018

No ratings yet.

In Hamburg, 3,5% of all metro passengers are travelling without a ticket. In Berlin, the rate is at four percent and in Paris it even reaches five. The good news is: AI can now help in the fight against fraudulent behaviour in public transportation systems.

A Spanish start-up called ‘Awaait’ sells a product called ‘DETECTOR’. This a surveillance software that, with the use of AI, aims at detecting fare evaders in public transportation.
The software is linked to the stations’ surveillance cameras and is designed to detect anomalous behaviour that indicates that a passenger travels without a ticket.
It then sends a notification to the staff of the respective public transport company, which can in return interact in real-time and pull out the alleged fare evader for a control.

The software is currently in its testing phase, and has therefore been installed in the metro network of Barcelona. The first phase now is to show the system cases of people violating the rule of not entering without using a valid ticket, e.g. video recordings of people jumping over the gates to the metro. It is expected that by doing so, the AI technology of the software learns to detect these patterns automatically.

The great advantage of this is of economic nature and directly affects the efficiency of public transport providers: Ticket checks can now be done way more selectively. By focusing on the people in suspicion, the inspectors will be needed less frequently and in fewer numbers. Also, the ‘success rate’ of finding fraudulent behaviour is expected to increase, resulting in higher earnings for the public transport firms.
The project has been financed by a fund of the European Commission.

The question that arises here is: is this software one step too far in the field of mass surveillance? Is it really worth it to make investments for highly modern technology in metro stations in exchange for collecting a higher amount of fines? Or will it backfire, and people will avoid public transport in general due to concerns for their privacy?

Sources:
https://awaait.com/products
(in German) https://derstandard.at/2000087754965/Kuenstliche-Intelligenz-soll-Schwarzfahrer-ueberfuehren

Please rate this

Stop swiping! The future of dating is here

20

September

2018

5/5 (1)

In case you were wondering where the limits of blockchain and AI lie, let me tell you that your love life is not one of them.

While the dating platform Tinder makes use of pictures and short descriptions, an app called Viola.AI takes the game to a whole new level. First off, what has blockchain got to do with it?

Viola.AI makes use of blockchain technology in order to verify its users by visual recognition. This is a prevention measure to avoid (identity) frauds and ensure safety. This makes sense in a world where catfishing or dubious messages are as common as getting your bike stolen on your average day trip to Amsterdam.

What’s far more interesting however, is how the app makes use of artificial intelligence. With the help of deep learning, the app takes a bunch of variables of your behaviour into account and creates a database of it. Viola.AI then analyzes your conversation history, your preferences as well as your user behaviour. All of this is being done in order to find your perfect match.

Furthermore, the app integrates a holistic approach not only for finding compatible partners, but also for giving personalized relationship advice as well as suggestions on where to have your next date. Therefore, it acts as a middleman between you and your love interests.

Lastly, in order to ensure the best possible online dating experience, Viola.AI uses customer feedback for improving its machine learning algorithms.

Until now, the app is mainly being used in Asian cities, such as Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta and Bangkok. However, if you ask me, it’s only a matter of time until AI and online dating will join forces in Western countries.

What are your thoughts on this topic? Do you think you’d be happier if an algorithm took over your attempts in finding a suitable match online? What about data concerns?

Sources:

https://medium.com/trusteddapps/is-viola-ai-the-future-of-dating-1d9c35a7feb2
https://medium.com/viola-ai/online-dating-bots-how-reliable-are-they-c38dd54e8524

Please rate this