Bring in the robots: car-mad Maltese say AI can help reduce traffic congestion

Where do you see robots helping society in daily life? For all EU member states the answer is healthcare, where robots could be deployed for remote-based, life-saving keyhole surgery and other time-saving procedures. Except in Malta (37%), where respondents to an Eurobarometer survey say robots could help in traffic management to reduce congestion and improve air quality.

In a certain sense, the answer reflects the experience of the Maltese commuter frustrated by the growth of traffic pressures in the last six years from an enlarged workforce, and relatively untroubled on health thanks to its free national health service.

Although not in first position, AI in traffic also receives high scores in Belgium (39%), Germany (36%) and Luxembourg (35%). It is mentioned least in Spain (20%), Czechia (23%) and Lithuania (25%).

But the survey does reveal the importance of AI in medicine for member states, namely the Netherlands (74%), Cyprus (72%) and Sweden (60%), and least in Romania (31%), Malta (33%) and Hungary (35%).

The proportion of respondents who think artificial intelligence is useful for robots to improve productivity and job safety was below 10% in Malta (7%), Portugal (8%) and the Netherlands (9%).

Those who saw AI useful to improve the safety and security of society was highest in the Netherlands (35%) and Belgium (32%) but lowest in Hungary (10%) and Malta, Austria and Romania (all 11%).

The Maltese were also proportionally the most likely in the EU to say spontaneously that the use of AI is particularly appropriate in all the examples given (10%), but also the most likely to give no opinion (20%).

Concern about the emergence of situations where it is unclear who is responsible for actions involving AI was highest in Finland (59%), Hungary (55%) and Romania (49%), and least in Luxembourg (29%), Portugal (31%), and France and Malta (both 36%). Moreover only 18% of Maltese are concerned with the emergency of situations where there nobody to complain to in case of problems.

When asked whether the state should regulate the ethical aspects of AI or whether the industry should regulate itself 30% of the Maltese replied “don’t know”. This was the second highest no reply rate in Europe after Bulgaria.