Liselott Johansson: Using AI for good to make the world a better place
We’re over halfway through our #20yearsofAI anniversary celebrations. We’ve shared our stories of how it all began and we’ve explained what makes our AI globally unique. Now, I’ll provide some context about ‘Why’. Why does our AI matter? Why is it ‘AI for good’? And why is our AI important both now and in the quest for a better future for generations to come?
Urgent action is needed to tackle climate change
We all know that climate change is a real threat to the planet. The Earth’s surface is now warmer than it has been at any time in the last 100,000 years. And, the consequences of climate change include intense droughts, water scarcity, severe fires, rising sea levels, flooding, melting polar ice, catastrophic storms and declining biodiversity.¹
In multiple UN reports, scientists and government reviewers have concluded that limiting the global temperature rise to no more than 1.5°C would help us avoid the worst climate impacts and maintain a livable climate. Yet we are currently expecting a 3°C temperature rise by the end of the century.
The emissions that cause climate change come from every part of the world, but we know transportation is responsible for approximately one quarter of greenhouse gas emissions. Reducing emissions through transportation is therefore an urgent priority.
It’s time to take a new approach to driver safety
Each year, approximately 1.19 million people around the world are killed in road traffic crashes, and a further 20-50 million people suffer non-fatal injuries². In addition to the human cost, the socio-economic cost of work-related crashes is substantial. In fact, due to their greater frequency, property damage crashes have higher costs than injury crashes.
For employers, there are also hidden costs associated with car crashes including lost working time, medical costs, legal and insurance costs and damage to reputation. In the US, crash costs typically comprise between 13-15% of a fleet’s total spending and cost companies around $54.7 billion per year³.
With research from around the world showing that around one third of road deaths are sustained in crashes involving someone driving or riding for work purposes, it’s time for organizations to take a new look at how they tackle driver safety.
AI for good can make a measurable difference
Knowledge is power. And, with AI for good, every person on the planet has the potential to make a difference. For safer roads. And for a more sustainable future.
The AI we have developed and trained over the last 20 years is a true example of AI for good. It provides us with data insights that tell us which drivers are most likely to crash and why they are likely to crash. With this knowledge we can address the behaviors that influence crash risk and act to prevent crashes from happening.
Likewise, the AI provides us with data insights that tell us a driver’s influence on emissions. Regardless of the vehicle they are driving (whether it be a small passenger vehicle, a motorcycle, or a large truck), we can see how their driving style influences their environmental impact, so we can see where eco-training will help and where it should be prioritized.
What makes our AI so unique?
I’m so proud that our AI stands out from anything else in the world.
Our patented AI for good technology enables us to understand driver impact on the roads in a unique way. Unlike other data analytics companies, we can identify the driver influence on crash probability and climate impact. In other words, how a person’s driving influences road safety and CO2 emissions / energy consumption.
Thanks to the uniqueness of our scoring, our AI harmonizes GPS data from any source and is agnostic of location or vehicle type, making it easy to benchmark performance across mixed fleets and quickly pinpoint areas for potential CO2 emissions reductions and driver safety improvements.
This uniqueness is why our technology has been recognized by so many awards over the years and why we are committed to ensuring that our global scoring standard reaches all drivers.
My dream of a future in which AI for good is standard
I truly believe that our AI could be the digital seatbelt. Since being introduced as a legal requirement around the world, the seatbelt has saved millions and millions of lives.
It’s my dream for our AI to be standard for all drivers, in all vehicles, so that every driver can see – every trip – what their impact is on the world in terms of how likely they are to be involved in a crash and how their driving affects the environment.
No one likes to change, especially if it feels like an effort. But reducing driver impact is simple; you need to focus, look ahead, control your vehicle, and plan. That’s pretty much it. By doing this, I believe we can reduce crashes by about 60-80%.
AI for good has enormous potential and as we continue our Greater Than journey, we will do everything we can to share our data insights for the benefit of our planet.
¹ United Nations: https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/what-is-climate-change
² World Health Organization
