AI Is Scanning Some Rental Cars — And It Might Cost You

As specific rental car companies implement artificial intelligence AI drivers say the tool is driving up unfair charges Customers across the country are claiming they re being charged hundreds of dollars in damage fees sometimes weeks after returning their rentals for minor or even nonexistent damage Massachusetts resident Ellen Connor was one of the customers who was hit with hundreds of dollars in damage she says she didn t cause I am unfailingly willing to pay for damage if I ve done it but they did not prove any of it Connor stated She rented a Mercedes to drive along the West Coast with her son this summer It was the nicest car I ve ever driven and it was great Connor revealed What wasn t great were the bills she got after the trip The rental car company charged her over a thousand dollars in damages Connor was shocked She explained nothing happened while she was driving and the videos she took when returning the car presented no damage I had taken such good care of the car she stated I consistently parked it very scrupulously I would kind of walk around it every day and inspect it The company explained photos taken by their AI system proved otherwise Connor was charged for a scratch on a rear door a mark on a tire and a damaged front bumper But Connor mentioned the photos the company provided didn t prove there was damage I still couldn t see it she declared I wrote back and explained I don t see any evidence of damage Rental car companies nationwide are rolling out new AI-powered inspection systems that resemble drive-through gates As customers rent and return their cars the systems capture images from multiple angles and use artificial intelligence to evaluate any likely damage Companies claim the equipment make the damage inspection process more efficient objective and transparent but a few drivers claim it is making mistakes Michael Audette was charged over after renting a car in Florida Like Connor the photos the company provided as proof presented no signs of rim damage I m like what am I looking at I don t see anything Audette noted It s just shocking because I m like how am I getting a bill when the guy advised me I m good Ashley Davis was initially charged for a small scratch on a tire rim and the price kept increasing It goes from to to and we are at almost for this scratch on my wheel Davis mentioned Her attempts to dispute the damage were unsuccessful You can t get a hold of anybody There s no actual customer institution number that you can call You can only send an email request in Davis reported These AI scanners are now at the Logan Airport so Investigates rented a car and put the scanner to the test The car had a inadequate marks on it to start but the system didn t detect anything new and days later we weren t charged any extra cost While the AI passed our test experts explained this apparatus still requirements a human touch and there demands to be a process for customers to dispute the damages If you use the mechanism without genuinely allowing the person to intervene or say their bit that can be really problematic and can definitely cause more problems than it is worth because these things are not very accurate They will make the errors explained Usama Fayyad Northeastern Senior Vice Provost for AI Fayyad disclosed he believes AI apparatus can be trusted if humans supervise it but emphasizes that how businesses utilize AI is key Yes the instrument is great at speeding up responses and tasks but without the human intervention and the human supervision it is going to make particular really horrible user experiences Fayyad mentioned Drivers who spoke with Investigates stated that s exactly what happened to them Audette was able to get the company to drop its charges but remains concerned about others who are billed How multiple people are they doing it to who just paid it because they just don t want to be bothered Audette questioned Connor s insurance company paid for her damages and Davis ended up paying out of pocket I would have rather seen a better outcome I didn t have a choice Davis mentioned Connor noted she is more hesitant to rent a car again It stinks because it is going to make consumers have to bear even more of the burden of being super careful or being taken for extra money when they don t deserve to be charged Connor revealed The companies that utilize these scanners revealed humans are involved either in the decisions process or the dispute process They further emphasize there are strategies for customers to reach out and dispute alleges One rental car company noted of the one million cars scanned had no billable damage Ben Winters is the director of AI and Privacy at Consumer Federation of America He stated that as this hardware increases in the rental car industry and other industries companies need to be transparent about how it is being used This is just one example of an industry adding a layer of AI innovation that makes it harder for problems to get solved while maximizing fees charged by the company Winters disclosed It is something that people are going to continue to see When it comes to rental cars Winters advises consumers to be aware of which companies utilize this mechanism If drivers do rent from companies that use AI experts recommend still taking their own before and after photos Winters reported if consumers do get charged they should get in touch with the company right now and get their credit card company involved if they paid with a card