Tech companies seem to expect that we will continue to tolerate this inundation by their various ‘solutions,’ all while not realizing that many of these ‘disruptive innovations’ create more problems.
Tech companies want to automate our communities—in particular, our transportation and mobility systems. Unfortunately, we’re not well-prepared—physically or psychologically—to adjust to the onslaught.
We’re already seeing the potential for what tools like ChatGPT can do to improve public services. It’s time for governments at all levels to invest in training their people in the technology.
Two U.S. senators recently introduced the bipartisan AI Leadership Training Act. The bill, which is moving forward to the full Senate for consideration, calls for the federal Office of Personnel Management to train senior leaders across the federal government in the basics and risks of artificial intelligence.
The first working prototype of the digital wayfinding and out-of-home advertising kiosk program has been made available for Santa Monica residents to inspect, examine and evaluate and we went along to prod, play and put it to the test ourselves.
Officially known as the Digital Wayfinding and Out-of-Home Advertising Kiosk Program, the initiative was first introduced in early 2020, shortly before the pandemic, but the proposal was temporarily shelved until November 2022, when Council selected a company to install, operate and maintain the network of kiosks. A company called BIG Outdoor beat the competition and was awarded the exclusive franchise in December 2022. However, one of the companies spurned by the selection process, IKE Smart City, threatened legal action, accusing BIG of exaggerating their qualifications and copying other company’s intellectual property as it related to the kiosks.
Weiterlesen: US: California: Santa Monica: Wayfinder kiosks: first look at the functioning prototype
As Waymo and Cruise seek to expand autonomous taxi services in San Francisco, some public agencies worry about the impacts on transit operations and emergency response.
In Brief:
- The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency and other public authorities are asking a California regulatory commission to slow down the expansion of autonomous taxi services.
- Autonomous taxis have caused a range of unsafe incidents on city streets in the time that they’ve been operating.
- Authorities worry that increased congestion could interfere with transit service at a time when agencies are trying to bring back riders.
- Experts say public perception of autonomous vehicle safety is important to the expansion of the industry.
Weiterlesen: US: California: Why San Francisco Transit Wants a Slower Rollout of Driverless Taxis
It follows the implementation of 600-miles of ultra-high-speed, multi-gigabit fibre optic network by Metronet to homes and businesses throughout the US city.
The city of Rochester, Minnesota, has been declared a Certified Gigabit City after an ultra-high-speed, multi-gigabit fibre optic network became accessible to a majority of households and businesses throughout the city.
Weiterlesen: US: Rochester in Minnesota declared a gigabit city