According to the FWHA, there is a need for early-stage research to support emerging advances in artificial intelligence to help solve complex issues in highway transportation. A new Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) program aims to transform highways with artificial intelligence. Some of the areas where the technology is expected to play a future role include improved safety, environmental mapping, bridge capacity insights, and smart parking. The Exploratory Advanced Research (EAR) Program is currently soliciting proposals up until December 5. It will then award contracts or engage in cooperative agreements.

Your smart phone can feel like a lifeline, helping you navigate a new town or delivering an urgent message to a friend. Many people have a funny or embarrassing anecdote about an autocorrected text message or a roundabout route to a destination. But these artificial intelligence (AI) flaws exist on a spectrum, from minor inconveniences to unfair treatment or even risk to human life. The people who create and use these AI technologies are also imperfect; we have our own biases, whether we are aware of them or not. Unconscious bias can influence our decisions and lead to unintended consequences; overt prejudice can result in our unethical and harmful exploitation of AI technologies.