Is Government Ready for AI?

When the 2008 Summer Olympics were about to open in Beijing, China, government authorities grew increasingly concerned about the city's notorious pollution problem. Rather than risk the health of athletes and guests at the games, dozens of nearby factories were ordered closed and driving restrictions reduced traffic by 90 percent, according to state news reports. While the moves were considered radical and impacted the region's economy, the Beijing government felt it had little choice. Today, Beijing is saturated with sensors that can measure CO2 content and other pollutants. Data from the sensors is now combined with information from the city's weather service and run through algorithms developed by IBM's Almaden Laboratory in Silicon Valley that help to predict whether or not the city is going to be impacted by high levels of pollution.