GoKawiilWTF?! Want another reason why there's a big pushback against artificial intelligence? In Dallas, AI-powered cameras mounted on trash collection trucks are photographing properties and assigning them a "blight score" – a rating based on perceived code violations.
NBC 5 obtained city records showing that Dallas started testing the AI cameras on bulk trash collection trucks in April, ramping up their use over the summer.
The cameras identified at least one possible code violation on more than 21,000 properties. These include grass height, litter, debris, overgrown weeds, and structural issues.
The properties are then assigned a "blight score" based on the level of violations. A score of 1 is the least severe, while 4 is most severe.
Some homeowners whose properties appeared on the list received code enforcement "courtesy notices," which could result in fines if the violations aren't addressed.
One person whose property was flagged by the camera for a chimney paint violation and given a score of 2 said the rating was too severe – even a 1 seems a little harsh.
Courtesy: Edward Ayala, NBC 5 Investigates
Plenty of other locals are far from happy about the cameras. There are the obvious privacy concerns about photos being taken of someone's home without their consent, and many are asking who has defined what counts as blight on their property.
The system consists of 100 cameras mounted in pairs on 50 brush and bulky-waste trucks, with one pointing from each side of the vehicle. The 1920 × 1080 cameras use fixed-focal-length lenses and have no optical or digital zoom. Dallas officials say they operate at street level and cannot see above fences. The city expects the trucks to provide a visual scan of Dallas roughly once every 30 days.
City Detect, which operates the cameras, said it has no say in how the city uses the data for enforcement. CEO Gavin Baum-Blake said faces and license plates are blurred.
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