Telangana to bring AI into driving tests, cut human intervention | Hyderabad News

Hyderabad: Driving licence applicants in Telangana may soon face a more technology-driven test, with the transport department planning to introduce AI-based video analytics at driving test tracks to make assessments more transparent and reduce human intervention.The department plans to upgrade existing driving test tracks in Hyderabad’s Core Urban Region (CURE) in the first phase, along with the track under the Karimnagar RTO. The upgraded facilities will use cameras and AI-based video analytics to monitor applicants as they perform prescribed driving manoeuvres and assess their performance.Joint transport commissioner M Chandra Shekhar Goud said strict and transparent driving tests were essential to improving road safety and reducing accidents. “Reducing human intervention in the testing process will help bring greater consistency and transparency to the assessment of licence applicants,” he said.The move follows a study by the committee on automated driving test tracks. Committee members recently visited driving test facilities in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Odisha to study the systems in place there before submitting their report to the transport department.“Based on the committee’s report, the department has decided to proceed with the upgrade,” Goud said.The transport department is working with a private automobile company to upgrade the existing tracks and introduce AI-based video analytics. The system is expected to record an applicant’s performance during the test and assist in assessing whether the prescribed driving manoeuvres have been completed correctly.Goud, along with other officials, inspected the driving test tracks at Kondapur and Nagole on Tuesday.Officials said the proposed system would make driving tests more technology-driven and ensure applicants are assessed primarily on their actual driving skills, rather than through a process involving substantial manual intervention.