[ad_1]
- Amazon’s AI cameras penalize drivers for using side mirrors and being cut off, Motherboard reports.
- Penalties like these hurt the performance scores of workers and DSPs and their chances of getting more money.
- Drivers also told Motherboard that it is very difficult to appeal for false infractions.
Amazon drivers would be punished for some driving habits considered safe and others that are beyond their control.
Several drivers told Motherboard that the AI-powered cameras in Amazon’s delivery vans unfairly punished them for things like looking at side mirrors, adjusting the radio, and even having someone cut off traffic. other.
“It’s overwhelming when I haven’t done anything,” a Los Angeles delivery driver told Motherboard. “Anytime I have to make a right turn, it inevitably happens. A car cuts me off to get into my lane, and the camera, with that truly dystopian robotic voice, screams at me.”
Whenever Netradyne cameras detect possible dangerous driving “events”, these cases are factored into workers’ performance scores and may, in turn, affect their chances of getting bonuses, extra pay. and prices. They can also affect the revenue of Amazon’s delivery service partner (DSP) itself.
These events help decide whether Amazon drivers receive ratings of “poor”, “fair”, “good” or “fantastic”. DSPs can only get bonuses for repairs, damage, and other things if their drivers’ combined weekly scores land in “fantastic” territory.
“Amazon allegedly uses these cameras to make sure they have a safer workforce, but they actually use them to not pay delivery companies,” a Washington DSP owner told Motherboard .
“One of the security enhancements we’ve made this year is the deployment of advanced camera-based telematics and security technology across our delivery fleet,” Amazon said in a statement to Insider. “This technology provides drivers with real-time alerts to help them stay safe while they are on the road.”
The company added that it has seen the following changes since the cameras were installed in more than half of its US fleet: accidents have decreased by 48%, violations of stop signs and signals have decreased by 77 %, the tracking distance decreased by 50%, driving without a seat belt decreased by 60%. , and distracted driving was reduced by 75%.
The owner of the Washington DSP told Motherboard he had not been trained in the use of the cameras. Amazon told Insider that every delivery company receives camera training and is required to let their employees know how “events” affect DSP scores.
Some Amazon drivers have resorted to stickers to cover their pickup truck cameras to avoid unnecessary infractions, Motherboard reports.
“If we brought up any issues with the cameras, the officials sweep it under the table, they just worry about getting the packages out,” a Kentucky delivery driver told Motherboard. “So we cover them. They don’t tell us, but it’s kind of like ‘don’t ask, don’t say.'”
Other workers wear sunglasses so that cameras do not interpret eye movement as distracted while driving.
“The Netradyne cameras that Amazon put in our pickup trucks were just a nightmare,” a former Amazon driver in Alabama told Motherboard. “Personally, I didn’t feel safe with a camera monitoring my every move anymore.”
Several drivers also told Motherboard that it was difficult to appeal wrongly reported “events” to Amazon, and that their attempts to do so were often rejected.
Amazon said insider calls are reviewed manually, and erroneous “events” don’t impact DSPs or drivers.
Amazon said in February that it would install the cameras in its delivery vans to improve security. The move raised concerns about confidentiality and oversight. The following month, an Amazon driver resigned over the installation of the new camera, telling the Thomson Reuters Foundation: “It was both a breach of privacy and a breach of trust.” The system, called Driveri, consists of a front camera, two side cameras and another oriented towards the driver.
Netradyne did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
If you are an Amazon delivery driver or warehouse worker with a story to share, you can contact this reporter at [email protected].
[ad_2]
Source link