The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), in partnership with the California Department of Technology and the Department of General Services, recently awarded the first Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) vendor contracts.
Two companies, Deloitte Consulting and INRIX, were selected to identify risky areas and monitor interventions designed to increase safety of vulnerable road users.
Two companies, Accenture and Deloitte Consulting, were the selected to process and interpret data to improve traffic pattern analysis, address bottlenecks, and enhance traffic management.
The number of fatal and serious injury collisions in California increased annually from 2011 to 2019, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
“With an average of 12 Californians dying on our roadways every day, we need to use every tool available to end the roadway crisis and reach our goal of zero traffic fatalities and serious injuries by 2050,” California Transportation Secretary Toks Omishakin said. “Today represents an important step in exploring how GenAI can help save lives.”
The volume of data generated from a wide range of sources makes it difficult for Caltrans to effectively analyzing the data. The agency seeks to integrate AI technology to streamline data collection and strengthen strategic decision-making, and will study the technology’s potential to help navigate the evolving transportation demands.