Didi detects drowsy drivers with AI facial recognition

Chinese ride-hailing king Didi is introducing AI-backed facial recognition technology in its cars. The company has previously used facial recognition to verify drivers’ identities, but now it’s using the tech to see if drivers are falling asleep.

Didi will pilot the drowsy-driving detection system with AI cameras in a few cities, according to the company. But if you’re worried about being captured on camera, Didi says that the collected information will be encrypted and available only to safety crews in case of accidents. Didi also uses GPS and accelerometer data from phones to help detect dangerous driving patterns.

Didi made the announcement on Friday in preparation for Chinese New Year, which is said to be the largest annual human migration. It follows an effort from Uber to combat drowsy driving. But the US-based ride-hailing company opted for a less high-tech approach, using notifications from the app and automatically locking the app for drivers after 12 hours of work.

Whether on buses or long-haul trucks, keeping drivers awake is paramount to safety. Companies including Boch and Panasonic have been developing systems to detect drowsiness using tech like cameras and sensors. Some of these systems are smart enough to keep drivers from getting drowsy, including lowering the temperature or using vibrations in the driver’s seat.