By Noortje Marres, University of Warwick

You'd probably notice if the car that cut you off or pulled up beside you at a light didn't have a driver. In the UK, self-driving cars are still required by law to have a safety driver at the wheel, so it is difficult to notice them. But car companies have been testing automated vehicles on UK roads at least since 2017.

Self-driving cars use Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology to steer themselves and navigate around obstacles. But they aren't the only use of AI in the streets today. This technology is being introduced in many different ways, for example in cameras that detect whether people are speeding or using mobile phones while driving.

As part of the AI in the street project, my colleagues and I at several UK universities studied how residents and visitors experience the presence of AI in public spaces.