That's exactly what happened to one Bay Area commuter earlier this month. After calling FasTrak — where, credit given, the rep was actually helpful — the mystery was solved. The system's automated license plate reader misread a plate on a red F-150 and matched it to the wrong driver. The rep's explanation was refreshingly honest and deeply unsettling: "The AI must have gotten it wrong."

Cool. So now what?

Look, we're not anti-technology at The Dissent. Automated plate readers have been around long before ChatGPT, and yes, every system — human or machine — produces false positives. As one local on Reddit put it, the real question is whether you'd "rather have higher tolls or the infrequent false positive." Fair point. But that framing conveniently leaves out a third option: better review processes before violation notices go out.

Because here's the thing — a government agency just accused someone of a traffic violation they didn't commit, using evidence that didn't even match their vehicle type, and the entire burden of correction fell on the accused. The commuter had to find time during business hours, sit on hold, explain the obvious, and hope someone on the other end would fix it. That's not efficiency. That's cost-shifting.

Another Bay Area resident nailed the incentive problem: "It's not like you can use a different toll company, so there is no incentive to retain customers — only incentive to cut costs." Bingo. When a government monopoly deploys automation, there's no market pressure to get it right. The customer eats the error every time.

This particular case was resolved easily enough. But how many people just pay the fine because the notice looks official? How many don't have time to call? How many don't notice the photo shows a completely different vehicle?

If public agencies want to use automated systems to issue what are effectively government accusations, the standard for accuracy needs to be higher than "whoops, the robot guessed wrong — you sort it out." At minimum, a human should review the image match before a notice goes out. That's not an extravagant ask. That's basic due process.

Automation should serve the public, not just the agency's budget line.