The path to follow is artificial intelligence

The article in the newspaper explained how the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority intended to use artificial intelligence (AI) to maintain roadways. I was ecstatic since I had lived in Millennium City for a long time—and I still suffer. After all, using the newest cutting-edge technology is the best method to improve the appalling condition of roads.

The euphoria vanished as soon as I got into my work vehicle. Luckily, there aren’t many potholes on the concrete resurfacing in front of my home. Since there is no way for the water to escape, the homes are naturally inundated during the monsoon since the road is now just a few inches above their level. Then, you win and lose in equal measure.

But the trouble begins as soon as the concrete road finishes. There is a lot of traffic on one of the key roads that connects my property to the highway. Potholes are commonplace and hardly seen unless a biker is unlucky enough to fall on one. The road is sufficiently broad, but it has been reduced to a single lane—a rural byway similar to those created under the Pradhan Mantri Grameen Sadak Yojana—due to vendor encroachment and vehicle and e-rickshaw parking.

Of course, the government has made efforts to make commuting easier. For example, most junctions have been shuttered to reduce cross-traffic. To stop people from crossing the median, high concrete fence has been installed, and a foot overbridge has been built. However, the fact that our nation is free was overlooked by the traffic planners.

Almost seldom is the overbridge utilized. In order to save people the trouble of ascending the short set of stairs leading to the overbridge, sections of the concrete barrier have been removed. It seems that our constitutional authors unintentionally omitted the freedom to cross the street anywhere one pleases from Articles 12 to 35, which enumerate a citizen’s essential rights.

Also, our drivers are much more environmentally conscientious than those in other countries. When driving on the wrong side of the road and creating traffic jams is better for the environment, why should one travel an additional 100 meters to execute a U-turn at the intersection? Consider all the gas that was spared and the decrease in emissions as a result of these Good Samaritans.

All of this is typical throughout the nation and is not unique to the location where I now reside. That’s why I was overjoyed that at last, something was being done about it. It seems obvious that the average IQ of people like me is insufficient to recognize that there is a problem. It’s so archaic to drive about the city and observe the condition of the road system, patch potholes, maintain the roads, and sternly enforce traffic laws prohibiting driving on the wrong side of the road. The most recent advancements in AI are what we need to identify the issues and provide solutions. I have no doubt that my commute will be much less terrifying now that DeepMind has the ability to maintain roads.