The Risks and Benefits of Using AI to Improve Waste Management
Also today: Revisit our coverage of the CityLab 2024 summit in Mexico City, and read more about innovative ideas from the city.
People frequently recycle items that don’t belong in the bin. Cities are using AI-powered cameras to try to change behavior
Photographer: Michael Interisano/Design Pics Editorial/Universal Images Group Editorial
Cities are experimenting with using artificial intelligence to improve their waste management: East Lansing, Michigan, piloted a citywide program that equipped recycling trucks with AI cameras trained to find and photograph non-recyclable items inside curbside bins. The city then sends a postcard to the household notifying them of their error. Leduc, in the Alberta province of Canada, has a similar program for cleaning up its compost stream.
Cities say it allows them to personalize feedback to residents, and nudge them to change their behaviors. But at least one cybersecurity expert warned that the more personal data cities and private AI companies collect on their residents, the more risk they intrude on people’s privacy. Read more from me today on CityLab: Cities Look to AI to Better Manage Trash and Recycling