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Whatever your opinions are on artificial intelligence (AI), it’s going to become pretty inescapable in London in the near future. Soon, AI could be used on tube platforms to keep passengers safe, as TfL has said it is ‘prioritising’ testing the technology across the London Underground.
TfL is testing new tech that will use AI to identify objects on the rails, such as people jumping on the tracks on purpose or by accident, which then will alert station station staff if they need to intervene. The tech, which is already being tested on DLR platforms at Custom House station, ignores the movement of trains, only picking up on unusual activity. Security camera footage is analysed by a ‘visual recognition system that rapidly detects and identifies objects on the rails while ignoring the movement of trains’, said the DLR’s operator, Keolis Amey Docklands.
Similar tech was trialled at Willesden Green in 2022 and 2023 to catch fare dodgers, as well as detect weapons brought into the station and see if people were standing too close to the edge of the platform.
On January 9 London Mayor Sadiq Khan announced in a speech that AI will be a huge part of the London Growth Plan for 2025, with a focus on growing the technology in the capital. In the same week, Prime Minister Keir Starmer unveiled the AI Opportunities Action Plan, where he said the UK would go ‘all-in’ on artificial intelligence.
At a recent London Assembly meeting, Sadiq Khan said: ‘TfL’s plan to address platform-train incidents sets out specific and targeted actions to keep customers safe, quickly alert staff when incidents do happen, and respond promptly to minimise their impact.
‘As part of this plan, TfL will trial new technology in 2025, including artificial intelligence systems, which will improve customers safety at the interface between the train and the platform edge. TfL is prioritising this work over the coming year.’
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