The pedestrian detection systems in self-driving cars are less likely to detect children and people of color, study suggests

Self-driving cars, like the Cruise model from General Motors pictured above, are already on streets throughout the United States. Heather Somerville/ReutersPedestrian detectors in self-driving cars are less likely to detect kids and people of color, study shows. This is due to bias in open-source AI, on which self-driving cars rely, researchers say. The detection systems were 19.67% more likely to detect adults than children, and 7.52% more likely to detect people with lighter skin tones than people with darker skin tones, according to the study. The research team called on lawmakers to regulate self-driving car software to prevent bias in their detection systems.