Amazon delivery drivers were involved inat least 60 accidents resulting in 13 deathsbetween 2015 and 2019.
And that was before drivers were being forced to make dangerous decisions by in-vehicle AI cameras and crappy algorithms.
But Amazons clearly instituted these systems to cut liability and pay delivery service partners (DSPs) less.
And there doesnt appear to be any evidence that such systems make deliveries safer.
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It actually looks as though theyre distracting drivers and causing them to make erratic, dangerous decisions.
Background:AI is really, really stupid.
I cannot express how wrong the general public is about what they can do with AI these days.
But thats not stopping Amazon from misleading people and its partners about the systems capability.
They watch every move we make.
I have been dinged for following too close when someone cuts me off.
I personally did not feel any more safe with a camera watching my every move.
After all, there are no long term studies on the effects of constant surveillance on drivers.
What effects will these systems have on driver stress levels?
Numerous employees interviewed by Motherboard expressed anxiety over the constant dinging from the system.
And this system is far from perfect.
Drivers report being dinged for glancing at their side mirrors something thats necessary for safe driving.
This means drivers have to make a choice between driving safely and earning their full paychecks and bonuses.
Thats a tough position to put people in.
And the safety benefits Amazon touts?
Theres no evidence that this system makes drivers safer.
Those statistics sound like facts, but they dont make a lot of sense.
How can they tell exactly what percent of drivers werent wearing their seatbelts properly before monitoring systems were installed?
How does Amazon know how closely drivers were following other vehicles before external cameras and sensors were installed?
And those arent the only questions we should be asking.
However, I will concede one thing to Amazons apparently made-up statistics.
That is, I actually believe seatbelt violations have dropped significantly for drivers since the inception of AI monitoring.
Thats because drivers were incentivized against wearing their seatbelts before they were being surveilled.
But there are even bigger areas of concern.
Supposedly, every event is checked by a person.
That may sound fair, but its far from it.
But thats not how AI works.
AI is biased just like humans are.
We know for a fact that AI struggles with non-white faces.
It means white men are likely to generate less dings than other drivers.
Quick take:Forget the moral issues of surveillance.
Lets just look at this pragmatically.
Amazon considers its AI labs among the worlds most advanced.
It sold facial recognition systems to thousands of law enforcement agencies.
It doesnt need to outsource this kind of stuff.
Its just trying to squeeze a few more pennies out of every delivery.
Amazon believes itll make them more efficient.
But so would methamphetamines and monster trucks.
Netradyne and Amazon arent necessarily making the roads safer or making life easier for their drivers.
