The Special Committee on Artificial Intelligence in a Digital Age (AIDA) and the Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN) committees discussed the impact of AI on transport modes and mobility, and how to prepare for AI, in a public hearing. The hearing started with an exchange of views on the impact of AI on transport modes and mobility until 2030, followed by a second panel on how the EU can prepare for AI while minimising risk.
AIDA Committee Vice-Chair Miapetra Kumpula-Natri (S&D, FI) said: “Transport is a crucial aspect in our lives, which artificial intelligence will change tremendously in the upcoming years.“While fully autonomous cars might still be years away, optimizing traffic flows, for example, is already a clear step towards a greener and more efficient society. These are tremendous opportunities in artificial intelligence, but we must be active in working towards this transformation through innovation and funding” she said.
“At the same time, we must have a clear vision of the big picture. New ethical issues, unintended consequences and impacts on the current social arrangements brought by AI-powered transportation should not be side-lined in the debate” she added.
TRAN Committee Chair Karima Delli (Greens/EFA, FR) said: “AI for transport has the potential of reducing traffic congestion and private car ownership and can thus drive down greenhouse gas emissions. However, it also carries a risk of increasing emissions, as autonomous vehicles might make travel by car more attractive and thus lead to an increase in trips being made by car instead of public transport, bicycles, or walking”.
“Here it is our task to ensure, that innovations provided by technology are used in the right way – to reach our goals and not to hinder them. We have to make sure that while we use AI to improve polluting transport practices, we do not stop supporting and prioritising our most sustainable modes of transport, such as rail, cycling and walking” she said.
Background
A study from the European Parliament’s Research Service highlights that Transport is one of the sectors in which artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are seeing rapid uptake. AI systems can detect patterns in a large volume of data and model complex solutions that enable increased efficiency in decision-making and better resource allocation. The biggest transformation in the sector, yet to come, would be the deployment and uptake of highly autonomous vehicles and enhanced traffic management systems. The study analyses the potential benefits of action at the EU level in this area.
You can catch up with the full debate here.
Source: European Parliament
