MTA Utilizes AI to Document Fare Dodgers

     This Week in Tech

           July 20th, 2023

     MTA Utilizes AI to Document Fare Dodgers

          NYPD and MTA have announced that they will be using AI facial recognition software to identify fare evasion and keep count of avoiding paying subway fares by either jumping the turnstiles or just sneaking on. Reports found that MTA lost $690 million to fare evasion in 2022. They estimate that around 10% of riders skip paying for their ride, with some claims estimating it could be closer to 14%. It is very hard to enforce these rules on the metro, with it not being worth committing officers to check that people are paying for their rides.

       This AI software currently just documents incidents of fare evasion and creates data to show where it is most prevalent, but people believe that in the future, NYPD could use it to track facial identification and fine fare hoppers. This would be similar to China's surveillance program which can identify individuals and pull up data on them in real-time. There are plenty of privacy concerns that come with this. People tend to not want to be watched constantly.

        The city's subway system is currently home to over 10,000 cameras. These are currently just used as reviewable surveillance, but it isn't a terribly difficult operation to implement facial tracking software. The software is far cheaper than hiring police to monitor, costing only around thirty to forty thousand dollars to purchase and put in place. We will see in the future as to whether NYPD and MTA decide to invade people's privacy in the name of profit.