Uber is working on a new drunk detector app featuring technology that can tell if a passenger is intoxicated or high and then suggest services to ensure appropriate safety measures are taken, The Guardian reported.
In theory, the AI system will identify uncharacteristic behavior in an app user by picking up on small changes and then make recommendations such as directing them to a better-lit spot or matching them with drivers specifically trained to deal with drunk passengers.
This is all outlined in a patent application from Uber, which was revealed last week, and lists the data that could be drawn upon to determine an app user's level of intoxication.
Unusual typos, the angle at which a user holds the phone and whether the phone is swaying, as well as walking speed will all be analyzed by the tool to predict a user's state "using machine learning," New York Magazine noted.
And while Uber has not come out and said the technology would specifically determine whether the user is drunk or on drugs, this is implied in the patent.
The proposed new technology comes shortly after the ride-hailing company introduced a new app feature that allows users to connect to 911 in an emergency at the tap of a button.
Last month Uber revealed a safety feature that allows users to easily contact 911 and communicate their location with dispatch.
There has been a move for greater safety measures after CNN reported that there have been at least 103 Uber drivers in the U.S. accused of sexually assaulting or abusing their passengers in the past four years
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