Google Says AI-powered System Is Improving City Traffic Flows

Google says an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered system it created is helping improve traffic flow in major world cities.

The system, called Project Green Light, is currently in use in 12 cities. The project aims to save fuel and lessen air pollution, or emissions, from automobiles.

Google first announced the program in 2021, when it was testing the system in four areas of Israel. Since then, the company has kept expanding Project Green Light. Among cities now taking part in the program are Bangalore, Budapest, Jakarta, Manchester, Haifa, Hamburg, Rio de Janeiro, and Seattle.

In an online announcement, Google's Yossi Matias explained the latest progress. He noted that the system is being tested in areas with severe traffic issues. Generally, this is at major crossings with heavy traffic and complex traffic lights. These areas where vehicles start and stop are known as intersections.

The company said research has shown that at such intersections, automobile emissions can be 29 times higher than on open roads. In addition, Google's own research found that vehicles that must stop and start account for about half of those emissions.

Project Green Light uses individual driver data from Google Maps. This data is combined with AI methods to produce models of each intersection where the system is in place, the company says. The data from Maps is also used to create another model on how different traffic lights interact.

The modeling process for intersections considers several elements. These include the structure of streets, traffic flows, signal scheduling and how the vehicles interact with lights.

The models are used to reduce stop and start times and create smoother traffic flows, a process called optimization. Google says one goal is to optimize multiple intersections at the same time to create "waves of green lights" for vehicles on the road.

Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from Google and Reuters.

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efficient – adj. working well and not wasting time and energy

gridlock – n. heavy traffic conditions prevented vehicles from moving in any direction