Alibaba's artificial intelligence system to alleviate traffic

A sophisticated artificial intelligence (AI) system has been delivered to address traffic issues in the Chinese city of Hangzhou.

The ''City Brain'' system was developed by Alibaba, a Chinese company specializing in e-commerce and technology. It collects information from cameras and GPS data accross the city and adjusts the road signals in the optimal manner to prevent congestion.

"The cities in China probably are facing more challenges than any other city. But with emerging technologies like machine learning, communities are getting the tools to solve problems such as water shortages. Eventually, everything is going to depend on the computing power, just like we depend on electricity," Wang Jian, chairman of Alibaba's technology steering committee, told the CNN.

The system in now functioning after 2 years of being tested and people have started to understand its beneficial impact. It has significantly shortened the amount of time fire trucks and ambulances need to access an emergency scene.

Hangzhou is currently 57th most congested city but it was 5th just 2 years before.

''City Brain'' is also used in some other Chinese cities and in the capital of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur. Efforts to introduce such systems in Europe are being conducted in Germany by Volkswagen and Siemens. The 2 companies are currently testing a smart system which aims to help drivers predict when to expect a series of green lights.

Despite its advantages, the technology introduced has a major defect. In order to properly function, those systems require private data including constant surveillance and facial recognition. Therefore, they should be utilized in moderation.

Source: Cnn.com