Ride-sharing giant Uber, already in the midst of controversy over behavior by some of its drivers, filed for a patent that is sure to raise eyebrows. The patent, which was filed in December 2016 and published last Thursday, described a feature for the app that would detect when customers are drunk.
The original filing, which can be read in full courtesy of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, essentially would use artificial intelligence to determine whether or not an Uber user is impaired based on how they use the app, CNN reported. If the customer is having a hard time typing, tapping buttons on their screen or is walking slowly, the app would flag them as potentially drunk.
That behavior would be weighed against how that particular customer usually uses the app. That means it would, theoretically, know if that is not how that person normally operates Uber. Ideally, this would give Uber drivers a heads-up so they can fully prepare to deal with a drunk passenger or pass on them entirely in favor of someone who is sober.
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