California eyes using generative artificial intelligence to help solve traffic problems

Southern California drivers are no stranger to sitting in traffic during their commute, and now state officials want to figure out how to use artificial intelligence for possible solutions.

The California Department of Transportation is asking technology companies to come up with generative AI tools that could help reduce traffic and make roads safer, according to a report from the Los Angeles Times. The deadline to submit their ideas is Jan. 25.

Existing generative AI tools such as ChatGPT can help create ideas quickly. Similar technology could theoretically analyze traffic quicker than a human can to improve gridlock in real time.

Some companies already use that type of technology, and now Caltrans also wants to use it to possibly achieve their goal of having zero fatalities or serious injuries on the roads by 2050.

The plan to potentially use artificial intelligence, according to the Times, comes from an executive order about generative AI that Gov. Gavin Newsom signed last year.

Meanwhile, California lawmakers are weighing the pros, cons and potential risks of using this type of technology amid general concerns about privacy and job displacement.