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AI-powered traffic cameras, already a contentious issue in the United Kingdom, are making their way to American shores with enhanced surveillance capabilities that go beyond traditional speed monitoring.
A recent report from NBC News reveals that U.S. police departments have begun implementing the “Heads Up” system, an AI-enhanced traffic camera technology developed by Australian company Acusensus. Unlike conventional traffic cameras, these devices scrutinize drivers for multiple infractions, including seat belt violations and mobile phone usage.
A new AI camera system called "Heads Up" was launched in Greater Manchester to catch dangerous driving behaviors. During a 5 week trial, it recorded 812 drivers using phones and 2,393 seat belt violations. #OleeAI #transformation pic.twitter.com/fO8KIJU6Ij
— OleeAi (@OleeAILLC) November 22, 2024
The technology captures images of every passing vehicle, photographing both license plates and front seat areas. An artificial intelligence system evaluates these images for potential violations, assigning confidence levels to each detected infraction.
While British and Australian authorities have extensively tested these cameras, their implementation differs in the United States. In Georgia and North Carolina, where Acusensus operates, the system provides real-time alerts to nearby officers rather than automatically generating tickets.
The impact has been significant, particularly in North Carolina. According to an October media release by Acusensus, the program’s first two months in 2023 saw dramatic increases in citations – seatbelt violations jumped sixfold, while mobile phone violations increased ninefold compared to previous years. These results came solely from monitoring commercial vehicles.
David Kelly, Acusensus’s vice president of government solutions, defends the technology’s privacy measures, stating, “If there’s no violation, we’re not saving the data. There’s no data for us to save. And if, when it’s reviewed, if there’s no citation that’s issued, there’s no data that’s saved.”
Kelly emphasizes the system’s immediate impact on driver behavior, noting that traditional mailed tickets often arrive weeks after violations occur. He highlights law enforcement’s enthusiasm for direct driver engagement and immediate behavioral modification.
The technology’s reach continues to expand, with major academic institutions like the University of Alabama and the University of California, San Diego conducting trials. While Acusensus promises to protect privacy during these studies, some legal experts express skepticism.
The police just might be parked in your driveway…
Ford just patented newly developed camera technology that could turn all of their new cars into rolling police informants.
Basically, they submitted a proposal to the US Patent and Trademark Office to equip new cars with… pic.twitter.com/o5QV9Byo01
— Car Dealership Guy (@GuyDealership) August 7, 2024
George Washington University Law School professor Daniel Solove argues for stronger oversight: “There has to be real oversight to make sure they are doing what they say they’re doing and then oversight to make sure that if they don’t do it, [there is] a penalty for not doing it. So they say, ‘Oh, yeah, we’ll delete it,’ but will they? I don’t know. I mean, unless there’s accountability, that’s a meaningless statement to me.”
Duke University School of Law’s Jolynn Dellinger suggests this development represents “a trade-off between privacy and safety,” adding that “As technology becomes more and more powerful, privacy necessarily can shrink in proportion to the power of that technology. It may be a case where, in this case, privacy should be compromised for this greater good, but it’s still important to recognize that it is a privacy interest.”
Given the significant privacy implications and the technology’s growing adoption, experts emphasize the need for comprehensive oversight before further expansion of AI-guided traffic surveillance systems.
