Uber faces a fine of around $966 million (Rs 9,000 crore approx) for allegedly using AI systems to suspend its drivers. The ruling was issued by the Dutch Data Protection Authority earlier this week and
could be the second highest penalty issued based on the General Data Protection Regulation or GDPR in Europe.
The details given in a Reuters report say that Uber has been accused of using the technology to suspend its drivers and no human intervention was sought to make sure there were no wrongful actions taken by the system.
Serious Infringements Committed
The Dutch regulator has acted on the complaints about Uber deactivating driver accounts that were fully automated using AI and no human was involved in the process, which they have accused Uber for breaking the data rules in the country. “A computer should not make decisions on its own that have [such] major consequences,” Monique Verdier, deputy chair of the regulatory body has been quoted saying.
Argues Charges
Uber is not in agreement with the order and pointed out that while the AI systems did suspend the drivers, it was brief and assured that permanent suspensions continue to be reviewed by humans, and the drivers have the power to appeal such actions. “We strongly disagree with this decision and the disproportionate fine,” an Uber spokesperson told Reuters.
Drawing The Line With AI
Using AI across different systems is not rare anymore but companies like Uber need to make sure they can’t hide behind the technology to reprimand its drivers, especially if such cases are found to be less reliable.
Acting on complaints is part of the whole Uber model but even one wrongful comment or rating cannot come at the cost of severe action without even letting them enquire on the said charges. Hopefully Uber decides to fix up these issues with the AI and have some level of human checks adopted to avoid incidents like these in other regions.
