How the Texas DOT uses AI

How is the most important U.S. state transportation company planning to make use of synthetic intelligence? When the Texas Division of Transportation introduced in December a three-year strategic plan for implementing artificial intelligence throughout the company, it had recognized 230 potential use circumstances. 

AI “can essentially revolutionize what we’re doing and create that transformation within the transportation trade,” Anh Selissen, chief data officer on the division, stated on a June 2 webinar on its plan hosted by the Eno Middle for Transportation.

The 2025-2027 plan units a highway map for the division to integrate advanced analytics and clever programs into its operations and transportation system. 

Among the many attainable makes use of of AI, the division sees the know-how as a option to prioritize infrastructure initiatives, handle budgets and contracts and keep away from conflicts with utilities when planning undertaking areas. AI may additionally present resolution assist for emergencies, reminiscent of by means of climate monitoring, figuring out the most effective evacuation routes and alerting and responding to roadway incidents and wrong-way drivers. 

The division additionally envisions a job for AI in workforce coaching and managing its automobile fleet. “Our subsequent step [in the process] shall be bringing in a considerable amount of the visitors information so we will really do some stronger AI analytics round visitors and congestion data from a stakeholder expertise,” Selissen stated. 

To this point, the division is utilizing AI in 22 features of its work, stated Darran Anderson, the division’s director of technique and innovation,  together with for real-time and predictive visitors information evaluation and crash detection. Layering AI on high of the division’s freeway digicam community is lowering incidence response time for emergencies or roadside help, he stated.

Selissen stated the division sees “tens of millions of assaults” every day into its laptop programs, making cybersecurity important for any AI implementation. “If a hacker will get into this method and mainly permeates your community, it’s going to be a world of damage on your group,” she stated. The division’s technique, as specified by its three-year plan, consists of educating employees of the dangers and guaranteeing AI programs are designed, examined and deployed in ways in which guarantee safety.

The division’s tips embody privateness protections together with checks and balances to make sure outcomes are unbiased and supply fairness throughout all customers. Selissen stated about AI, “You have to study it. You’ve received to determine its capability to be used, and also you’ve received to know the boundaries of what that use must be.” She really useful making an attempt pilot packages and beginning with small duties.