Imagine walking down the streets of Bengaluru and seeing an AI billboard flashing your pending traffic challans in real time. Scary? Yes. Helpful? Not really. While citizens are publicly shamed, potholes remain unpatched, officials remain invisible, and accidents keep happening. technology, in this city, isn’t meant to solve problems—it’s meant to squeeze you. Brutal, but true.
1️⃣ AI for Fines, Not Fixes
Bengaluru’s AI billboards display every pending traffic violation.
Citizens are targeted, shamed, and pressured to pay.
Meanwhile, 13,000+ potholes remain in the BBMP records, and 3,000+ road accidents occur yearly.
Tech is being used as a cash-extraction machine, not a problem-solving tool.
2️⃣ Accountability Only Flows One Way
Citizens face fines instantly.
Officials who fail to maintain roads? Invisible.
Contractors who leave potholes unpatched? Untouchable.
The system punishes the public, but protects those who truly deserve accountability.
3️⃣ Lost Opportunity: What AI Could Have Done
Display real-time pothole alerts and risk scores for drivers.
Track and highlight negligent officials and contractors responsible for bad roads.
Create public dashboards of road quality and repair timelines.
Instead, it’s a high-tech toll booth for citizens.
4️⃣ The Human Cost
Bengaluru reports thousands of accidents yearly due to poor road conditions.
Citizens pay fines but still risk life and limb on the same dangerous roads.
technology that could prevent accidents is instead weaponized to extract money.
5️⃣ Why This Happens
Political incentives prioritize revenue generation over public safety.
Tech is co-opted to control citizens, not improve infrastructure.
Corruption and bureaucracy remain unchecked, while AI monitors your wallet.
6️⃣ Brutal Reality Check
The message is clear: “Pay, or we shame you publicly.”
Roads remain broken.
Officials remain unaccountable.
Citizens are always the target, never the system.
7️⃣ How Bengaluru Could Truly Use AI
Real-time monitoring of road conditions and accident-prone zones.
Transparent tracking of BBMP repairs and official accountability.
Predictive analytics to prevent accidents before they happen.
AI is designed for citizen safety and system accountability, not revenue generation.
Conclusion: Citizens Aren’t the Problem
Bengaluru’s AI story isn’t about innovation—it’s about exploitation disguised as tech. The public pays fines, the roads stay broken, and officials remain unaccountable. Until accountability flows both ways, technology in india will continue to serve the system, not the people.
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