The neural network determines the salary. Amazon installed smart cameras in the car to monitor drivers

In early August 2021, it became known that Amazon uses artificial intelligence cameras in cars to determine the amount of remuneration for its drivers, as well as whether they can stay working in the company.

The Information received confidential documents, from which it became clear that Amazon developed a points system for drivers using cameras on their trucks that can determine anything from involuntary sneezing to whether the driver is looking at the road or watching another car too closely.

Four cameras, including one camera directed directly at the driver from under the rear-view mirror, are made by Netradyne and focus both inside and outside the van. In the past, Amazon stated that cameras do not work constantly, but only come into operation when built-in artificial intelligence detects potentially dangerous circumstances, such as unexpected braking of a car or scattered driving.

An Amazon spokesman told Insider that the camera system has increased driver safety.

Amazon installed smart cameras in the car to monitor drivers

This technology provides drivers with real-time warnings to help them stay safe on the road. We tested this technology on more than 3,500,000 km of delivery routes and the results amazingly improved overall safety, because the number of accidents decreased by 48%, the number of violations of stop signs decreased by 20%, the number of driving without a seat belt decreased by 60%, and the number of distracted driving decreased by 45%, "said a company representative.

Amazon uses cameras to count cases where drivers commit potentially dangerous actions, such as not stopping in front of stop signs or red lights, making an illegal turn, or following other cars too closely. In most cases, any incident is estimated at 1 point, with the exception of violation of stop signs, which is estimated at 10 points, the publication reports.

Each week, Amazon's contract delivery companies receive scorecards for their drivers with their ratings (excellent, bad, satisfactory), the report says. The owner of one of Amazon's delivery partners told the publication that the estimates help determine the amount of driver pay, since Amazon provides financial rewards for safe driving. The publication noted that a poor safety assessment can also determine whether the driver will remain in his job or not.

The camera system, called Driveri, works with an application called Mentor, which analyzes similar safety risks, including speeding and a tendency to abrupt braking, but the cameras add additional information about whether the driver drove a red light, a stop sign or drove into the oncoming lane.

When Amazon released its car cameras in February 2021, they caused a significant resonance. In March 2021, a group of senators, which included Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, called on Amazon founder Jeff Bezos to provide more context and transparency in the use of cameras. Since then, Amazon has said that cameras are used to improve driver safety.

One of the drivers told the Thomson Reuters Foundation that a policy change forced him to quit, calling it an invasion of privacy. In May 2021, Vice reported that some Amazon drivers were ordered to turn off safety applications in order to fulfill the plan.^[1][2]

Notes