Two Year Taiwanese Trial on the Effects of AI Begins

As part of an experiment into how artificial intelligence can attempt to influence the real world decisions of people, researchers in Singapore have developed a smartphone app focused around convincing people to adjust their travel plans to be at less busy or more affordable times.

The researchers hope that as many as tens of thousands of people will participate in the experiment. As a starting point, the app will take into account initially set user preferences, such as they tolerance for crowding, willingness to adjust travel plans to avoid congestion and the price they find acceptable for public transport. The AI engine will then tailor suggestions to the user, such as offering cheaper travel if they defer to less congested times or offer incentives to help alleviate congestion if they plan to travel at a busy time. The system will also keep track of the users willingness to accept the suggestions offered by the app and incorporate them in creating a uniquely tailored model for everyone.

Overall, the aim is to reach a compromise for travelers. With congestion being a source of annoyance and stress for many, convincing people to defer travel would yield benefits across the board even for those unwilling to adjust.

The research done here will seek to improve future consumer AI systems, both in creating positive tailor-made experiences for users, but also for businesses, who would be able to deliver personalized advertisement to potential customers.

Who knows, if people are receptive to the recommendations of AI, this could be a good step towards the future where everyone has their own AI personal assistant.

Image thanks to Jiahwang