Alibaba is reshaping city traffic with artificial intelligence

Alibaba, China's largest online retailer, is deploying its cloud-computing power to save Asia's cities from their suffocating traffic. Its subsidiary AliCloud announced today (Jan. The company previously deployed its traffic-management system, called City Brain, in Hangzhou, China--where Alibaba is headquartered--in September 2016. Afterwards, average traffic speed increased 15%, and traffic violations were reported with 92% accuracy, Reuters reports. City Brain makes live traffic predictions, optimizes traffic flow, and detects traffic incidents using data from video footage, traffic bureaus, public transportation systems, and mapping apps.