How the new AI regulations will affect business models in public transport

The research question that the research team Håkan Burden and Susanne Stenberg at RISE, Center for AI and Måns Olsson, Lund University have investigated is how the collection of data in public transport relates to the EU's proposed rules on AI and data. This has been done through two case studies, one on passenger counting via camera and one on the sharing of battery data.

— We have investigated the possibility of reusing surveillance footage from public transport vehicles to count passengers. We compare GDPR and the Swedish camera surveillance law with the proposed AI law, to see what new opportunities or obstacles arise, says Håkan Burden.

Collecting data in public transport is important to strengthen safety, prevent crime, provide passengers with a good travel experience in the form of traffic information, provide operators with information on the vehicle's position in relation to the timetable and information on the status of the battery, which ultimately contributes to sustainable travel. Data collection can take place in different ways, for example through camera surveillance and GPS, and need to be shared between several partners. Which data may be used for which purposes is a complex legal issue, which is why expertise is required to interpret the rules. Regardless of whether you want to protect the privacy and safety of passengers, or promote recycling and circular business models, the development of new products and services needs to respect the law.

— Understanding the impact of coming EU-regulations will not only clarify how to comply. In our research and analysis the focus is on making sense of AI policy, for instance how business in evolving markets can be done. This way of working helps to visualize strategic investment choices for industry and society, says Susanne Stenberg.

Through the study, the researchers at RISE and Lund University have concluded that the proposed AI law will not change the business models within the ecosystem, but facilitate access to more personal data to train an AI for automated passenger counting. System administrators will still need to ensure compliance with the GDPR when the systems are used. In terms of the Data Act, the owner and user of a vehicle have the right to all data about the vehicle related to their use, and this will make some existing business models impossible but open to new ones.

What do you want your conclusions to lead to?

— We hope that the report leads to a discussion about the effects of new legislation so that private individuals, companies and the public sector have time to prepare, concludes Håkan.

Read the report: