Dashcam Maker Motive Touts AI but Relies on Humans

Company sells dashcams for trucking companies to monitor drivers but has 400 Pakistani workers vetting its AI results.

Art by Mike Sullivan

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Last summer, a manager at startup Motive Technologies sent an urgent Slack message to 400 employees based in Pakistan. “WE HAVE A PROBLEM,” it said in all caps.

Motive sells AI-powered dashcams that allow trucking companies to monitor drivers and send alerts about crashes and other safety issues. In August, the dashcams recorded a string of collisions, but customers never received the alerts.