If it seems like you hit every red light on your way to work, Google's innovative AI-powered traffic-fighting solution, Project Green Light, could make your commute a whole lot smoother.
Project Green Light uses Google Maps driving trends and AI to optimize traffic lights in busy urban areas and help reduce vehicle pollution from stop-and-go traffic.
According to Google, early data shows the eco-friendly initiative could lead to 30% fewer stops and a 10% drop in car-related pollution at city intersections.
Plus, navigating congested city centers will be a much less road rage-inducing affair for millions as the project is rolled out in new locations.
Green Light has been implemented at over 70 intersections in 13 cities worldwide — including Rio de Janeiro, Abu Dhabi, Bangalore, Hamburg, Manchester, and Seattle.
Google says in the areas where Green Light is live, the AI-powered traffic project can help commuters save gas and reduce pollution for 30 million car rides each month.
Since pollution at city intersections can be nearly 30 times higher than on roads less traveled — and half of these fumes come from cars speeding up after hitting red lights — according to Google's research, improving traffic light timing is crucial to slashing urban pollution.
It can also play a major role in mitigating extreme weather driven mainly by burning dirty fuels and helping city dwellers breathe a little easier. Traffic exhaust can make asthma and other health issues more likely, so reducing this source of air pollution is a step toward a healthier future.
"We believe that fighting climate change is an important collective challenge, and for three decades, we have been using technology to accelerate meaningful action," Kate Brandt, Chief Sustainability Officer at Google, said in a company blog about the project.
"While we recognize that digital technology alone will not solve the climate crisis, we can already see the tremendous potential that it holds to help accelerate action on sustainability and climate while simultaneously empowering economic growth," she added.
Because the AI-based recommendations work with the traffic infrastructure already in place, city engineers can put them into action in under five minutes and make any necessary adjustments after reviewing impact reports from Google — all without needing to invest in expensive hardware or tools.
"In order to achieve a positive climate impact, we want to be able to deploy high-quality Green Light recommendations to many cities globally and scale fast," Alon Harris, Senior Climate AI Program Manager at Google, told Sustainability Magazine.
Google hopes to greenlight the project in hundreds of other cities over the next few years and help pave the road to a cooler, greener tomorrow.
"You know when you drive through a sequence of five green lights, and it feels like your lucky day?" Dotan Emanuel, a software engineer on a Google Research team, said. "We want to make that feeling more common to more people around the world."
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