Philadelphia has embraced utilizing artificial intelligence in a myriad of ways, from government projects to education to retail and more, writes Malcolm Burnley for Philadelphia Magazine.
The Department of Streets partnered with the city’s Office of Innovation and Technology to test out solutions powered by AI to help identify roads in need of repair. A pilot program used high-tech sensors placed on municipal vehicles to measure cracks and unevenness on roads, which were then factored into repair priorities.
The University of Pennsylvania is the first Ivy League school to offer a bachelor’s degree in AI. The school has been a champion of innovation in the AI space since 1979, when its GRASP Lab started incubating ideas from students and faculty in the area of robotics. This initiative improved AI’s ability to master skills such as spatial awareness and visual acuity, which yielded discoveries related to the human body and much more.
“What we’re trying to develop [using] neural networks informs our understanding of a lot of other biological systems,” said Penn faculty member Pratik Chaudhari.
Meanwhile, Grays Ferry startup COSY makes robots that maneuver around the grocery store and provide store managers and warehouses with real-time snapshots of their stocks.
Read more about the many uses of AI throughout the city in Philadelphia Magazine.
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