The New York MTA is piloting AI-powered subway gates with cameras that record brief footage of suspected fare evaders and send AI-generated physical descriptions to the agency. Privacy advocates warn this and expanding retail uses of facial recognition risk normalizing pervasive biometric surveillance with unclear data retention and accuracy biases. #MTA #Cubic
Keypoints
- The MTA is testing subway gates with cameras and AI to detect suspected fare evasion.
- Cubic says its gates record five seconds when a fare is missed and produce AI-generated physical descriptions sent to the MTA.
- The MTA sought vendors for systems using advanced computer vision and AI to detect “unusual or unsafe behaviors.”
- Retailers like Wegmans have deployed facial recognition in stores, with notice required but retention policies often undisclosed.
- Advocates warn facial recognition is less accurate for minorities and the NYPD has spent millions on biometric surveillance.
Read More: https://therecord.media/nyc-explores-ai-cameras-fare-evaders-subway