Americans wasted a whopping 3.4 billion hours in 2021 thanks to traffic, according to research from connected car analytics company INRIX, which also noted that this equates to 36 hours lost per person. The numbers are clear: Even with drops in traffic thanks to new travel patterns in the wake of the pandemic, we still lose an entire workweek each year to traffic. Soon enough, artificial intelligence (AI) may be able to alleviate--or fully solve--the problem. Today, researchers and companies are working to develop AI-powered systems that tackle the problem of traffic from a number of angles. For instance, Intelligent Traffic Control of Tel Aviv, Israel, has developed a solution that collects data from traffic cams, then regulates traffic signals to optimally route vehicles.

As thousands of Washington, D.C. drivers headed to Arlington National Cemetery for the Armistice Day ceremony, they found themselves stuck in the world's first traffic jam. On November 11, 1921, the congestion trapped motorists in their cars for hours--along with one very displeased President Harding, whose limousine had been caught up in the middle of it all. People were frustrated, tired, and unaware that they were making history. Just 100 years later, urban traffic chaos persists. But AI traffic management systems may offer a new solution to this century-old problem, while at the same time addressing the sustainability challenges of the future.