Amid the global COVID-19 pandemic, US-based artificial intelligence company Smartvid.io recently unveiled “Vinnie”, a new feature for its project risk management platform that will be able to monitor construction workers’ level of compliance with the 2m social distancing protocols as a virtual safety inspector.
While Smartvid.io has provided AI technology for construction sites for over three years, the pandemic presented an unexpected set of challenges that required quick advancements. According to the company’s website, Vinnie “has been trained to find—and count—a number of indicators of project risk in the areas of safety, productivity and quality” that include worker proximity and their use of personal protective equipment. Safety inspectors can either watch the footage in real-time or from recorded photos and videos, allowing their surveillance to be carried out beyond typical working hours.
For construction workers who may be concerned about any potential breaches of privacy afforded by the updated surveillance technology, Smartvid.io has made clear that “there is no facial recognition and never will be,” and that Vinnie “has been certified to be compliant with the strict privacy requirements specified by the European GDPR standard.”
