Programmers around the world are training artificial intelligence (AI) to control driverless cars directly from their smartphones.
Mighty AI, a data-training firm specialising in autonomous cars, uses both a website and app to allow users to log in and give AI driving lessons and share the findings. Currently, Mighty AI has nearly 200,000 creative AI programmers, but that figure is expected to grow.
The programme works by allowing users to create boxes around subjects that are fed through from an onboard camera. This technique ensures that the different algorithms are competent enough to identify potential hazards drivers encounter in everyday life.
The game-like feature is typically 10 minutes long and rewards players for accuracy and skill.
“It’s more like Candy Crush than a labor farm,” said Matt Bencke, the CEO of Mighty AI, in an interview with WIRED. “Automotive space is one of the hottest and most advanced fields applying machine learning.”
When highlighting objects using segmentation masks, colour pointers are used so that the AI is able to recognise and adapt to its surroundings. Lamp posts could be marked in pink, cars in yellow, roads in blue, and traffic lights in red, for example.
According to Mighty AI, creating these annotated images for the AI will allow it to better avoid hazards that may cause accidents.
The majority of developers taking part in the project are amateurs with little to no experience within the field of AI.
While autonomous cars are being developed by tech giants and specialist AI firms, Mighty AI believes that the involvement of amateur developers around the world could be pivotal in making these projects a reality.
