NEWS
2023/05/24
alt Inc. and JR West Accelerate Development and Application of "Railway Command Operations Assist AI" for Railway DX
〜 AI to achieve the same level of operational command as humans for restoration of operations during schedule disruptions 〜
alt Inc.(https://alt.ai/en/), a Japan based developer of AI Clone and Personal Artificial Intelligence (P.A.I.®️) (Head Office: Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan; CEO: Kazutaka Yonekura), has been developing a "railroad command operation assist AI" as one of the challenges for railroad DX. We are pleased to announce that, as a result of comparison and verification of dozens of cases of operation control plans created by command staff and AI operation control plans when train schedule disruptions occurred, AI's solution succeeded in producing the same (or better) results than the command staff's plan.
【Background of Development】
During train schedule disruptions, command staff are required to possess exceptional knowledge and skill to reorganize operations. The speed and quality of schedule restoration depend greatly on the individual's capability and experience. Simultaneously, command staff are burdened with the task of responding to field inquiries, managing radio communications, and sharing information, which can be a considerable challenge.
To address these issues, alt, West Japan Railway Company ("JR West," headquarters: Kita-ku, Osaka; President: Kazuaki Hasegawa), and JR West Innovations Corporation ("Innovations," headquarters: Kita-ku, Osaka; President: Makoto Okuno) have collaboratively developed the "Railway Command Assist AI". This new initiative uses AI to support and substitute for operation control tasks, which are particularly demanding among command tasks. The goal is to reduce the burden on command staff and enhance the quality of schedule restoration by minimizing variations in operation control plans caused by differing skill levels.
【Development Overview】
In the first phase of the joint development of "AI for Railway Control Operations Assist," we modeled transportation plans for a hypothetical line section, then compared the operational plans of command staff and of the AI in dozens of cases in which schedule disruptions occurred. The results indicated that AI can formulate a recovery timetable that is either equivalent to or better than the plans of the command staff, as well as creating a transportation plan with efficient timetable recovery procedures.
In the second phase, we are developing a versatile AI by modeling real timetables and sections in the JR West area and learning from actual timetable disruption events that occurred during the first phase. This is aimed at automating operation management during timetable disruptions.
【Future Prospects】
In the next phase, phase 3, we plan to expand the verification experiment to additional sections. We aim to design and implement a UI that proves accurate in the field, and to add new functions for practical application of this AI model. The plan involves not only utilizing the solution within JR West but also jointly marketing and expanding the railway DX solution to other railroad companies.
Although the development of AI for restoring timetable disruptions is challenging and only a limited number of companies are currently conducting research, employing AI in transportation infrastructure is a crucial initiative that will significantly impact society. ORTS remains committed to researching and developing AI technologies applicable to various transportation systems, thereby addressing societal issues and improving operational efficiency for society as a whole.
■ About alt Inc.
Founded in November 2014, alt is a venture company that "aims to free people from unproductive labor" by creating P.A.I.®️ (Personal Artificial Intelligence) and AI clones. We also develop and provide SaaS products such as AI GIJIROKU, which utilizes speech recognition technology derived from the development of AI dialogue engines. 3.5 billion yen was raised in a Series D funding round in June 2022, bringing our total amount raised to 6.2 billion yen.
https://alt.ai/en/
<For inquiries regarding the press>
alt Inc., Public Relations, Misako Nishizawa
TEL: 03-6455-4677 e-mail: press@alt.ai
<For inquiries regarding the alliance>
alt Inc., AI Solutions Division, Katsuya Asai
TEL: 03-6455-4677 e-mail: gptsolutions@alt.ai