Session 4 Ai in Transportation by Matt Joyce

Personalized Overview

mattjoyce999 — 2025-01-16 20:38:43 UTC

AIs impact on transportation is one of the most promising fields of Ai impact. By enabling autonomous vehicles Ai opens the door for plenty of individuals to be able to travel who have lost that ability or have never had it. Growing up my father had multiple sclerosis and I watched him lose his ability to travel. A lot of people view self-driving as a way to take a break and just relax while driving but, for others it is the first signs of a possibility of them being able to go out for dinner again or even something as simple as grocery shopping. These are the possibilities achieved by Waymo. The possibility of this happening can't come from one software on its own and luckily full road optimization is happening through AI. Some aspects may seem unhelpful in the dream of getting my father back on the road like UPS using AI to optimize delivery speeds or INRIX optimizing traffic flow; but the more AI is used on roads and in the process of transportation the quicker it will be accepted trusted and optimized. Apart from hoping to see a world where those who cannot drive regain the possibility to travel freely, I also love the benefits for myself. Seeing my packages delivered quickly and with more care because of the extra time for the delivery drivers adds a new sense of security when it comes to quality and estimated delivery dates. I also look forward to a world with traffic so optimized that i will no longer have to worry about showing up to important events late.

Waymo

mattjoyce999 — 2025-01-16 21:26:43 UTC

Waymo is Fully autonomous shared transportation service. Utilizing and hiring full research and testing employes to constantly work on the AI software that allows it to navigate traffic switch lanes and in general drive itself. This allows people who are maybe uncomfortable with usual rideshare options to put their faith in ai. Waymo has had its struggles such as driving on a road that was closed for a parade. And also increasing traffic after said parade by stalling out. Although Waymo hasn't been perfect it's a massive step to seeing cars that can completely drive themselves allowing to hopeful advancement in travel for those who are disabled.

INRIX

mattjoyce999 — 2025-01-16 21:36:36 UTC

INRIX utilizes Artificial intelligence to predict traffic in real time. This provides instant updates to traffic conditions even showing you which lane would be the fastest and most efficient for travel. INRIX was even selected by California's department of transportation in goals to provide more safety on roadways. Much like any other app in appears INRIX has had struggles with app crashing bugs or updates when it comes to new software settings for iPhone. These minor struggles do not outweigh the machine learning capabilities of reaching a faster way to navigate traffic find parking and ultimately make safer roads for travel.

UPS

mattjoyce999 — 2025-01-16 21:51:51 UTC

UPS utilizes a program named ORION which helps with route optimization. Leveraging the data UPS will use this software to track their packages and then once sorted will use route optimization to get the package to the buyer as soon as possible. This also saves aggressive work hours for the employees optimizes their jobs and limits financial losses with lost packages or unneeded hours of poorly optimized deliveries. The downfall in this system is well known, sometimes but extremely rarely a package will end up becoming lost and lose its tracking. This one negative although rare can be annoying but it's much better than having a package with no tracking at all. The supply chain format of AI greatly improves life for the workers and consumer.

Future Trends and Ethical Considerations

mattjoyce999 — 2025-01-16 22:18:08 UTC

AI’S impact on Transportation does bring up some extremely fair ethical questions. When being a passenger in a self-driving car how much do we trust the car to make the right choice in a dangerous scenario. If the car is only given the options of two bad scenarios which one, does it end up choosing? In a lot of cases people would much rather a human make these choices instead of a machine. Another problem is with the future of AI constantly advancing and holding our lives in its hands can we trust that the software will be safe from viruses or hackers? All of these are very valid critiques on self-driving cars but, I do feel there is ethical responsibilities to keep the advancements of this technology in place. Traffic management from AI can allow much safer roads for everybody regardless the type of vehicle you're using. Self-driving cars can allow more unfortunate people or those unable to attain their license the freedom of traveling alone. Self-driving taxis can allow passengers who are intoxicated a safe way home when they might feel nervous in the presence of another human they do not know. But, apart from ethics the future can be scary especially with the loss of jobs. This could be the end of taxi uber and lift drivers if this becomes the preferred option. This also could put delivery drivers at risk as the optimization of delivery may become self-driving cars and drones to complete non contact deliveries.

References

mattjoyce999 — 2025-01-17 01:33:14 UTC

app, T. (2025). INRIX Traffic app not working? crashes or has problems? | 2025 Solutions. JustUseApp. https://justuseapp.com/en/app/324384027/inrix-traffic/problems

Dasgupta, R. (2021, May 20). How UPS Route Optimization Software (ORION) Helps Drivers Make On-Time Deliveries. Route Optimization Blog. https://blog.route4me.com/ups-route-optimization-software-orion/

How UPS Leverages AI to Level Up Logistics. (n.d.). Interactions. https://www.interactions.com/podcasts/how-ups-leverages-ai-to-level-up-logistics/

INRIX. (2019). INRIX AI Traffic. Inrix. https://inrix.com/products/ai-traffic/

Internship Listing: Waymo Research Intern - Perception and Sensor Simulation. (2024). Computer Forum; Stanford University. https://forum.stanford.edu/internship-listing-waymo-research-intern-perception-and-sensor-simulation

Lightman, K. (2024, June 18). California awards “first” generative AI contract in state’s history - Safety21. Safety21. https://safety21.cmu.edu/2024/06/18/california-awards-first-generative-ai-contract-in-states-history/

Stone, J. R. (2023, June 26). 2 Waymo self-driving cars stall at SF Pride Parade street closures during heavy traffic. ABC7 San Francisco. https://abc7news.com/waymo-stalled-self-driving-car-sf-pride-robotaxi/13427435/

Sustainability at Waymo — All Electric Autonomous Transportation. (2015). Waymo. https://waymo.com/sustainability/

Societal Impact

mattjoyce999 — 2025-01-17 01:47:41 UTC

When it comes to the societal impact of AI on transportation, we have too first talk about self-driving and how it works. Autonomous driving requires a car to constantly monitor everything on video. The idea of these vehicles taking over definitely puts our sense of privacy in question. The more autonomous vehicles the more cameras watching and recording your every move. When we pair this with the previously mentioned fear of being hacked it is very understandable how some people might feel uncomfortable with big companies or hackers being able to monitor everywhere they travel every day. This is not just something that would affect the drivers or owners of these cars, but anyone who would walk in the car's proximity. The potential bad doesn't stop there as the fear of AI replacing jobs is definitely a question that we need to monitor. We must make sure that AI is used to benefit workers and not completely replace them. A great example of this is the optimization of delivery routes; this helps the worker optimize their time, but the fear of a drone taking this job is very possible. Now of course, the goods can outweigh the bad the idea of feeling safe while traveling on the roads, the optimization of traffic earning drivers more free time and of course as I've mentioned allowing those who can't drive an opportunity to travel alone. It's easy to fear something new and the implications that will follow it, but the goal of AI is to work with humans to benefit our everyday life.

overview video

mattjoyce999 — 2025-01-17 01:47:59 UTC

Reflection

mattjoyce999 — 2025-01-17 01:48:17 UTC

Through this process I have learned a lot. I learned that the ideal goal I had for what AI could do for me and my family is much closer to being completed then I originally thought. I have a new appreciation for how much work UPS has put in towards the consumer which is something I've noticed passively but never fully researched. While completing this assignment I struggled to limit my research; I felt that minor things like internship opportunities were signs of how serious these companies were to advance and grow. Ultimately this research has opened my eyes to how much AI could help accelerate the roadways traffic and open up opportunities for safer and more secure travel.