IBM filed a patent for an AI-powered traffic management system earlier this month.
What it is: According to the patent, IBM wants to develop a system for controlling traffic lights that relies on cameras. A computer views real-time footage of traffic in each direction and then calculates the optimum traffic pattern.
Why it matters: Have you ever sat at a four-way intersection for three full minutes staring at a red light with a mixture of bewilderment and anger because there isn’t another vehicle in sight? Yeah, that.
