Cyndi Himmelstiere on East London’s autonomous taxi problem and the neighbourhood’s verdict
From Bohiney Magazine and The London Prat. Cyndi Himmelstiere, Shoreditch. The neighbourhood that beta-tests everything and complains about it beautifully.
The Algorithm Came to Shoreditch and Shoreditch Was Not Impressed
The robo-taxis have arrived in London and, specifically, in Shoreditch, which means they are now operating in a postcode where the humans are already doing performance art in the street and the line between art installation and confused vehicle is genuinely unclear.
I watched one park briefly, uncertainly outside a gallery on Redchurch Street showing paintings of parking spaces. This was either a coincidence or the most sophisticated AI behaviour I have ever witnessed. I prefer to believe it was intentional. I am giving the algorithm the benefit of the doubt and a small amount of credit.
Shoreditch’s Official Position on Autonomous Transport
My neighbours have formed a loose consensus: the taxis are fine, the algorithmic passenger assessment is classist, and someone should make them run a fixed route to Broadway Market on Saturdays. These are all reasonable positions. The Guardian’s autonomous vehicles section has not yet covered the Broadway Market question. It should.
Bohiney’s piece on digital infrastructure reminds me that all of this runs on increasingly fragile foundations. The taxi is autonomous. The server it talks to is held together with sellotape and Gregory. Shoreditch accepts these conditions and orders another oat flat white.
Cyndi Himmelstiere. Homepage.
SOURCE: https://bohiney.com/internet-is-held-together-with-duct-tape/
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