Amazon's AI cameras reportedly punish its delivery people when they look in the side mirrors or when other cars cut them off
Amazon drivers are being punished for driving habits that are considered safe and road circumstances that are beyond their control.
Several drivers have told Vice that AI cameras installed in Amazon delivery vans unfairly punish them for things like checking side mirrors, adjusting the radio, and even finding traffic cut off by another vehicle.
"It's annoying, especially when I haven't done anything," a Los Angeles delivery driver explains to Vice. “Every time I have to make a right turn, it inevitably happens. A car cuts me off to merge into my lane, and the camera, in this really dystopian dark robotic voice, yells at me.”
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Every time Netradyne's cameras capture potential unsafe driving situations, these instances are factored into worker performance scores. These, in turn, can hurt your chances of getting bonuses, extra pay and prizes.
They can also affect the revenue of the Amazon Delivery Service Partner (DSP) itself.
These events help decide whether Amazon drivers receive "bad," "fair," "good," or "great" ratings.
DSPs can earn bonuses to put toward repairs, damage, and other expenses only if their drivers' combined weekly scores land in "fantastic" territory.
"Amazon is using these cameras supposedly to make sure they have a safer driver pool, but they're actually using them to keep delivery companies from paying," a Washington DSP owner tells Vice.
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"One of the security enhancements we've made this year is the rollout of industry-leading camera-based security and telematics technology across our delivery fleet," Amazon said in a statement to Business Insider. "This technology provides drivers with real-time alerts to help keep them safe when on the road."
The company adds that its data reveals positive changes since installing the cameras in more than half of its US fleet.
According to the company's calculations, accidents decreased by 48%, violations related to stop signs and traffic lights fell by 77%, following distance was reduced by 50%, driving without a seat belt occurred by 60% less and the distractions, finally, were avoided in 75% of the occasions.
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The owner of the Washington DSP has told Vice that he has not been trained on how to use the cameras.
Amazon, however, tells Business Insider that every delivery company receives training on the cameras and is required to tell their workers how "events" affect DSP scores.
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Some Amazon drivers have resorted to covering their vans' cameras with stickers to avoid receiving unnecessary tickets, reports Vice.
“If we bring up the problems we have with the cameras, the managers end up hiding them, they just worry about the packages getting through,” a Kentucky delivery driver tells Vice. "So we cover them up. It's not something we're told to do, but the reaction is a little bit, 'Well, don't tell anyone.'
Other workers wear sunglasses so cameras won't interpret their eye movements as distracted driving.
"The Netradyne cameras that Amazon installed in our vans have been nothing but a nightmare," a former Amazon driver in Alabama tells Vice. "Personally, I didn't feel safer with a camera watching my every move."
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Several drivers have also told Vice that it's difficult to claim events wrongly flagged as reckless by Amazon and that their attempts to do so are often dismissed.
Amazon has responded to Business Insider that these claims are manually reviewed and that erroneous events do not affect DSPs or drivers.
Amazon had already said in February that it would install cameras in its delivery vans to improve security. The move has raised concerns about issues such as privacy and surveillance.
The following month, an Amazon driver resigned from installing the camera, telling Reuters: "It was a violation of privacy and a breach of trust." The system, called Driveri, includes a front camera, 2 side cameras and another that looks directly at the driver.