On Friday, March 8th in the late afternoon, an AI WALK organized by PopAi took place in Turin.
The walk included ten stops in the historic center of the city, from Piazza Carlo Felice to Piazza Carignano, exploring the applications of artificial intelligence integrated into the urban environment.
The idea originated from POP AI’s desire to continue making artificial intelligence POP, popular and accessible to everyone. The one-hour walk through the center of Turin, guided to discover the various uses of artificial intelligence, is an example of a simple but effective way to approach AI.
The walk began with a first stop at the “StarHotels Majestic”, where we discussed how public Wi-Fi works and the main cybersecurity risks when connecting to a public network. We then addressed the topic of digital payments starting from a digital parking meter, which simplifies the payment of urban parking fees, and arrived in front of Piazza Carlo Felice to discuss automatic license plate recognition cameras (ANPR). These cameras, using artificial intelligence systems, are used to control vehicle access to limited traffic zones.
Did you know that to train an AI system to recognize vehicle license plates thousands of images are required, while to teach the same thing to a child, showing them a limited number of plates is sufficient for them to distinguish a new one and understand its meaning? Artificial intelligence, in fact, does not have the human ability to abstract and generalize knowledge (yet!).
We then passed by an electric vehicle charging station where we explained how AI is used to optimize the charging times of electric vehicles and discussed what data of ours is collected and how it is analyzed. We then arrived in Via Lagrange where we addressed the topic of private security cameras, which, through computer vision techniques, are capable of detecting, distinguishing, and tracking the movements of objects, vehicles, and people within the monitored area. At this stage, we introduced the new European law on artificial intelligence, the AI Act, and what are the rights of citizens and how to enforce them thanks to the presence of Luigi Cantisani from Futura Law Firm providing a framework on the rights related to the use of personal data by providers of digital services explored during the walk.
A stop on shared mobility was inevitable: providers of scooters, bikes, and cars, which we can rent every day, collect our personal and payment data, but also details on the routes taken with the vehicles, including speed and times, as well as indications of when these vehicles are rented by us and with whom. It’s important to be aware of how many and what data we share every time we use these services.
On this occasion, thanks to the intervention of Riccardo Savino from WeGladApp, we also addressed mobility in terms of accessibility and inclusivity towards people with disabilities and how AI technologies can improve accessibility and inclusion.
Arriving in Piazza San Carlo, we encountered “smart” street lamps, equipped with modern LED lamps, cameras, and sensors connected to the network. These intelligent street lamps can perform functions ranging from video surveillance and assistance in emergency situations to controlling traffic and parking, to more structured systems for monitoring air quality or weather conditions. And they can optimize lighting to save energy and reduce environmental impact.
The final stop of the route was dedicated to the conscious and safe use of social media: starting with a selfie of all participants in Piazza Carignano, we explained what it means to share a personal photo on one’s social channels, how much information is being shared, the difference between a public and private profile, and how much more detail our GPS location can reveal.
At the end of this experience, we managed to raise participants’ awareness about the intelligent applications already present in the city of Turin and encouraged them to critically reflect on the use of personal data, which is often shared carelessly with these applications.
In the AI walk, we tried to provide a view of how the digital world is connected to their urban and physical environment and how important it is to understand what AI systems are and how they work to use them safely and enjoy the great benefits they already offer today.
View here the details of all the stops:
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