Kerala implemented AI cameras to catch traffic offences some six months back. And since then, we have seen a series of interesting photos that were clicked by the AI cameras. In the latest such instance, we have a photo of a ‘ghost’ in the rear seat of a Maruti 800!
The owner of the Maruti 800 was confused when he received the challan (fine) notice from the Motor Vehicle Department (MVD). The photo clearly showed what looked like a person in the rear seat of the hatchback, peeping over the driver’s right shoulder! Interestingly, there were two kids in the rear seat of the car at the time the AI camera clicked the photo, and they are not visible in the picture.
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The challan was sent because the AI camera recognised that both the driver and the passenger were not wearing seat belts in the moving car. The photo was clicked at Melppalam near Payyannur town in Kerala. The driver of the car, Adithyan, was confused and contacted the MVD – which in turn did not have an answer to this and are trying to figure out exactly what happened here. The MVD also does not have an answer about why the children in the rear seat are not visible. The third face in the photo seems to be that of a woman.
Our guess is that it is probably one of the children in the car itself, but the black and white photo as well as shadows inside the car makes it look like a much older woman.
There is a term for the phenomenon where we see things that do not exist – Pareidolia. Pareidolia is when our brains see familiar shapes or objects in things that don’t actually have those shapes or objects. It’s like when you look at clouds and think you see a face or an animal, even though there isn’t really a face or an animal there. It happens because our brains are good at finding patterns and making sense of what we see, even when there isn’t anything meaningful to see. So, pareidolia is when our imagination makes us see things that aren’t really there because our brains like to find familiar shapes and patterns in random things. It is the same phenomenon that makes us see people or ghosts when we look into trees or bushes at night.
Kerala’s AI cameras have been having a successful run, other than capturing ‘ghosts’ like these. According to the state transport minister, since the introduction of AI cameras, traffic offences have reduced in the state as people are more cautious.
But it has also led to some hilarious situations. Recently, a picture went viral where a guy thanked MVD and AI camera for capturing him and his girlfriend on a motorcycle for not wearing helmets, and sending the photo of the traffic offence to his mother, who was the legal owner of the motorcycle. This, he said, saved him the hassle of telling his mother about the girlfriend!
Another instance was when AI camera clicked a couple on a motorcycle at night, as the woman pillion rider was not wearing a helmet. The rider was wearing one. The photo, clicked at night, showed the woman smiling at something the man said and resting her chin on his shoulder. Social media users in Kerala approved the quality of the photo, and even the accidental creativity, with some saying that even wedding photographers do not manage to click such romantic pictures!
An interesting problem that road users face in Kerala due to AI camera is more serious. Before AI camera introduction, when the MVD or RTO stopped a vehicle and challaned a driver or rider, they would give him / her a receipt for the same. If another MVD official catches them again soon after, they could just show the receipt and tell him that they have already paid up, and are on the way to fixing the cause for the fine. However, this does not happen anymore. So when an AI camera clicks a person for not wearing a helmet or not wearing seatbelt, the AI camera records that – and as the clueless driver goes ahead, another AI camera records it – and on and on. So if a vehicle travels for 100 kms and there are ten AI cameras along the way, the person could get fined 10 times!
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