What are AI speed cameras – what can they detect and where are they?

A UK road in has been fitted with the world’s first AI speed camera that can scan inside a car to spot motorists committing a catalogue of offences that standard enforcement cameras can’t spot without human intervention.

Here is all you need to know the new Redspeed Sentio AI speed camera.

New AI speed cameras can do a lot more than spot speeders - here is what else they can potentially do. (Photo: Pxhere.com and Pixabay.com)

Where is the first AI speed camera in the UK?

The Sun has reported the first AI-powered speed camera to be sited in the UK has been installed on the A23 in Lambeth, South London. It has been placed as part of a Transport for London trial to gain Home Office approval, so drivers could soon see the spy cameras spread across London and beyond.

What driving offences can the AI speed camera detect?

The camera can uses a 4D radar and high-resolution cameras to feed the AI brain, which can then work out if drivers are offending through the likes of using a mobile phone or not wearing a seatbelt.

The cameras can also work out how many people are in the car, which could lead on to charging schemes targeting lone drivers entering cities such as London. It can also see if vehicles are carrying too many people.

There have also been privacy concerns about the use of AI – and if it could introduce biases into decision-making processes due to the model’s training.

What is the AI speed camera called?

The new AI speed camera is called the Redspeed Sentio. Redspeed currently provides 90% of London’s 750+ enforcement cameras, so the uptake of the AI speed camera could become widespread across the capital – in what many fear is simply an exercise in revenue generation.

Divers in London are already some of the most highly targeted in the UK, with the Congestion Zone and ULEZ spreading across the entire capital.

What does the manufacturer say about the Sentia AI speed camera?

Redspeed, which makes the camera, highlights how many offences the camera can target – making it far more than simply a speed camera. The company says: “Perhaps your requirement is to combine a Speed Camera, Red Light Camera and Average Speed Camera in one box. Maybe you want to incorporate detection of mobile phone use, high occupancy vehicles, seat belt infringement or misuse of railway crossings.”

Will the AI speed camera be issuing tickets during the A23 trial in London?

It is claimed that the speed/safety camera will not be issuing tickets during the trial period in London. TfL has said the “AI functionality” was not currently in use and no tickets would be issued during the trial period.

However, a successful trial could see the cameras deployed across London and beyond. But as AI becomes more widespread across society, there are many organisations and government that want to pause the spread to properly assess the dangers of such technology and the biases and mistakes that it could inflict.

Can the AI camera be linked to police and DVLA databases?

The camera can be linked to multiple databases, to see if the driver is insured, banned, driving without tax or MoT. 

What  do privacy experts say about the AI speed cameras?

Jake Hurfurt, who is Head of Big Brother Watch, said: “This kind of intrusive and creepy surveillance, which treats every passer-by as a potential suspect, is excessive and normalising.

“It poses a threat to everyone’s privacy. People should be free to go about their lives without being analysed by faceless AI systems.”

What offences could the AI speed camera detect?

• Speeding: Minimum £100 fine and at least 3 penalty points. Potential ban
• Using a phone: £200 fine and 6 penalty points. New drivers could be banned
• Running a red light: £100 fine and 3 penalty points. Fine could be up to £1,000
• Driving without an MOT: Fine up to £1,000. Higher fine for goods vehicles
• Driving without insurance: £300 fine and 6 penalty points. More points or bans also possible
• Not wearing a seatbelt: Min £100 fine could increase to £500 max
• Too many passengers or dangerous load:  £2,500 max fine, 3 penalty points

 

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