Delaware Taps AI To Evacuate Crowded Beaches When Floods Hit

Delaware's low elevation mixed with crowded beaches and limited exit routes make the state particularly vulnerable to massive flooding, but officials hope an influx of federal infrastructure money will trigger future evacuation plans automatically via artificial intelligence. From a report: The Biden administration was set to announce a total of $53 million in grants Thursday to Delaware and seven other states aimed at high-tech solutions to traffic congestion problems. Although the money comes from the infrastructure law the president signed in 2021, many of the programs -- including the $5 million for flood response efforts in Biden's home state -- have evolved since then.

"What's new is the predictive analysis; the machine learning," U.S. Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt, Delaware's former transportation secretary, said in an interview with The Associated Press. "Because now we have access to all this data, it's hard for us as humans to figure out what is data and what is actionable information." Delaware officials pull off evacuation-type procedures every week during the tourism season, with long lines of cars headed to the beaches on weekend mornings and back at night. But flooding presents a unique problem -- including standing water on roads that can make the most direct routes out of town even more treacherous than simply sheltering in place.

People on the beaches!

[byronivs]

Get off the beaches!
I got AI nailed.

Great idea

[TwistedGreen]

That's cool, what a great idea for a money-burning party!

Won't matter

[evil_aaronm]

Humans, with their fundamental selfishness, capriciousness, and low impulse-control, are the weakest link in any logic chain involving humans. Unless the vehicles autonomously drive themselves, excluding humans from any sort of control, this AI approach is doomed.

Here is the human-killer AI

[manu0601]

We are warned about an AI that would kill humans, here it comes. Trusting a stupid computer will cost lives.

Re:

[quonset]

We are warned about an AI that would kill humans, here it comes. Trusting a stupid computer will cost lives.

As opposed to all those times we've trusted humans which cost us lives.

Re:

[manu0601]

As opposed to all those times we've trusted humans which cost us lives.

The difference is that it is nothing new that humans are stupids and make mistakes, sometimes killing each others.

Re:

[timeOday]

Oh boy. Now tell us how many humans have been killed by using stupid computers for weather forecasting, or shaping car traffic with Waze. Because this sounds more or less like the sum of those.

Assuming they get that money

[rsilvergun]

The Republicans want it cut as part of their budget negotiations (along with a 3% cut to the Social Security inflation adjustment making it a defacto benefits cut).

cry wolf

[awwshit]

This thing only has to cry wolf once and no one will pay attention again.

AI!

[groobly]

AI will cure all your ills. Why, inside this little bottle is the most amazing stuff ever created! Gather round and get your own bottle now while the supply lasts.