According to the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, artificial intelligence-assisted cameras installed on Los Angeles subway buses generated nearly 10,000 citations to cause violations.

Last year, the camera was first installed on the windshield of some subway buses, but the first ticket was released in mid-February. Initially, the only buses with cameras were along Line 212, from Hollywood/Vine to Hawthorne/Lennox Station, through La Brea Avenue and Line 720, from Santa Monica to Wilshire Boulevard in downtown Los Angeles. Since then, Line 70 has been included, services for Olive Street and Grand Avenue, and Lines 910 and 950 serving Metro J Series.

According to the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Administration, an AI-powered camera scans illegally parked cars and compiles videos of each offense, photos of license plates, and time and location. Each citation is reviewed by humans.

Each violation is at least $293, and the fare is not made by any man.

In the second half of March, the program issued 3,093 quotes to cars blocking bus lanes or parked cars. That number has more than doubled when 6,681 quotes were issued in the first two weeks of April.

The transport department told LAIST that officers usually issue about 570 tickets to block bus lanes before installing the camera.

"Without law enforcement, a parked car on the bus lane would delay dozens or even hundreds of drivers. So it's not just about issuing a ticket, but about making sure our subway buses run on time and bringing our drivers to their destination on time."

The program was designed by technology company Hayden AI to improve bus times, increase rides and solve travel problems. The Metro board approved a $11 million contract with the company last year to launch 100 camera systems. The agreement began in December and should last for about five years.

Although AI-powered security cameras keep scanning illegally parked cars, Charles Territo, chief growth officer of Haydn AI, said the technology can only be recorded when potential violations are observed.

“If the bus is moving and there are no vehicles parked in the lane, then no data will be recorded,” he said. “The license plate is recorded and video of the activity is captured only when the system observes a vehicle parked illegally in a bus lane or bus stop.”

As AI usage continues to expand for security, Washington, DC and New York City have used similar plans.

Recently, Metrolink, a regional rail system in Southern California, was awarded $1.3 million Develop an AI-powered security system to detect unexpected motion on tracks.

Colleen Shalby, an era worker, contributed to the report.