AI mobile phone cameras are already making mistakes
Innocent motorists are being hit with hefty fines as AI road technology mistakenly identifies everyday objects as mobile phones.
Aussies are being warned of harsher penalties linked to the rollout of AI-powered road cameras could result in innocent motorists being fined.
The technology, already operating across much of Australia, uses artificial intelligence to detect drivers doing the wrong thing behind the wheel.
The cameras are programmed to detect if a driver is either on their phones while driving, not wearing seatbelts properly, and in some cases, speeding.
New South Wales was the first state in Australia to introduce the system and since 2020 more than 921,000 fines have been issued to motorists.
MORE: Radical call to cut horror road death toll
Transport for NSW says the system has “transformed” driving behaviour.
“Since these cameras started catching drivers on their phones, we’ve seen a big shift — from one in 82 drivers (1.22 per cent) being caught during the 2019 trial, to just one in 957 (0.10%) in 2024,” a spokesperson said.
“Looking at your phone for just two seconds while driving at 60km/h means you’ve travelled 33 metres without really seeing the road.”
The AI system analyses images for potential offences before passing them on to human operators for review.
However, Avinash Singh, principal lawyer at Astor Legal, warns that “the cameras are far from infallible”, with courts already seeing cases where AI mistook a wallet or portable charger for a phone.
MORE: ‘No longer’: Popular Aussie car axed
“We have dealt with numerous cases where mobile phone detection cameras have mistaken other objects as mobile phones. Some recent cases we have had dismissed include people holding power banks, portable chargers, wallets and rectangular makeup mirrors,” Avinash said.
“There has been a significant increase in the number of erroneous mobile phone use infringements that have been issued following the introduction of AI-based cameras.”
And it’s not just false accusations that are leaving drivers out of pocket. Avinash said that the fine process makes it difficult for motorists to challenge a fine once it has been issued.
“This is not the case with AI camera detections, where there appears to be little human oversight. As criminal defence lawyers, our experience has been that infringements are issued first and then it is for the driver to contest it,” Aviniash said.
“This creates an issue where drivers only are made aware of the infringement months after the actual incident. Often, they may be unable to recall the incident given the passage of time.
“The second issue is that the amount of the fine is less than the legal fees associated with contesting it. Because of this, some people may simply be unable to afford to take the matter to court and fight it.”
MORE: Carmaker’s fury over Albo’s new road tax
Despite the concerns, the rollout is accelerating nationwide.
In Western Australia, AI-powered cameras are currently in their trial phase, which is capable of detecting mobile phone use, seatbelt offences, speeding and point-to-point speeding.
According to WA police, these cameras are the most advanced in the country.
Six new mobile camera trailers are monitoring various locations around the Perth metropolitan and regional areas, while fixed cameras monitor two sites along the Kwinana Freeway.
The trial runs until October, after which infringement notices will begin to be issued.
More recently, Tasmania has activated its own hi-tech road cameras on the newly opened Bridgewater Bridge, a 1.2 km stretch of road equipped with speed cameras that have already caught motorists.
Although it’s not confirmed whether the cameras operate with artificial intelligence software, they have still caught drivers with hefty fines.
MORE: New EV tax ‘makes no sense’
In just one week, fines totalling more than $40,000 were issued to drivers.
The grace period ended at the beginning of August and within the first week of enforcement 246 motorists received speeding fines, according to Yahoo News.
In Victoria, the government claims mobile phone and seatbelt detection cameras use cameras that are monitored with artificial intelligence software.
“The cameras take high-resolution images any time of the day or night, and in all traffic and weather conditions,” the Victorian government’s website states.
“The AI technology automatically reviews each image.”
In Queensland, mobile phone and seatbelt detection cameras use artificial intelligence to filter images and detect potential offences by drivers.
“If no possible offence is detected, AI automatically excludes the images from any further analysis and the images are deleted,” the state government’s website states.
“If AI suspects a possible offence, the image is passed on to Queensland Revenue Office. An authorised officer will review the image to determine if an offence has been committed.”
