2024 Winners

International and Region 4

California Department of Motor Vehicles

ELP Intelligent Automation

The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) strives to enhance its processes through technology by introducing large language model (AI LLM) and machine learning (ML) to its Environmental License Plate (ELP) program, which is commonly known as personalized plates. With advances in technology, new partnership, and dedication of employees, the California DMV continues to streamline its processes with the utilization of AI to do pre-screening and a second review all ELP applications. The California DMV has implemented AI and ML technologies that determines if the requested configuration for a personalized plate is acceptable. This will ensure consistency in the decision-making of personalized plates, reducing tedious manual research in a process that has caused inconsistencies and resulted in lawsuits. The AI ensures configurations are not representing inappropriate language (in global languages), illegal activity, violence, or resemble an existing plate configuration used by the state for regular issued plates. The solution is complete with the use of workflow automation engine for workload distribution of manual workloads and robotic process automation (RPA) to update the legacy systems and generate the plate requests and rejection letters. Since its implementation on November 1, 2022, AI has reviewed more than 166,000 personalized license plate configurations. Decisions made by AI were reviewed by California DMV staff and less than 5 percent of the decisions made by AI were reversed. Over time, this number will decrease as AI learns from the decisions that were reversed. Soon, staff will no longer have to review each configuration, but instead, review a random sampling of AI’s decisions. This will provide staff with time to focus on other critical tasks, thanks to the AI’s ability to handle license plate reviews.

Region 1

Newfoundland and Labrador Motor Registration Division

NL Insurance Validation Project (IVP)

Knowing that as many as 13% of vehicle owners were either cancelling their auto insurance coverage or allowing it to expire once their vehicle was registered, the NL Motor Registration Division worked to develop a solution to combat this serious safety issue. The Insurance Validation Project (IVP) targets uninsured vehicles and, if not rectified, they are taken off the road - all using only the vehicle identification number. Labrador partnered with the Insurance Bureau of Canada to build an electronic insurance validation tool. All insurance providers in NL are required to report to the Registrar within 24 hours of a policy cancellation/expiry. They do this electronically, by uploading their active policy information to the Insurance Bureau daily. This database is critical to the effectiveness of the IVP. Launched in December 2022, the IVP tool does a seamless check for valid insurance coverage against the Insurance Bureau database using the vehicle VIN and performs a monthly check of the vehicles registered in the provincial registry. MRD receives an electronic file in response which identifies the uninsured vehicles or those with VIN errors. The IVP targets all passenger-plated vehicles with a model year of 1983 and later. This project has also reduced impact on their counter services (reduced appointments for insurance). By incorporating easy, self-serve technology solutions, the registry is accurate and customers can comply without visiting an office. An average of 6,000 offenders are identified per month. After the implementation of this solution, current data shows that only 3-6% of vehicles may be uninsured in any month.

Region 2

Georgia Department of Driver Services

Georgia Digital Driver's License and ID Provides Positive Impact on Georgians with Disabilities

On May 18, 2023, the Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS) launched the Georgia digital driver’s license and ID in Apple Wallet, which paved the way for the public to use their credentials electronically. Georgia is the largest state to provide this capability, enabling an easy and secure way for Georgians to present their credentials without showing their physical card. DDS’ goal was to offer customers a safe and convenient way to prove their identity without having to share too much personal information using their physical card, which provides strangers with key identifying information about the customer. The first use case was with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). It allows customers to breeze through TSA security checkpoints by tapping their iPhones and/or Apple watches on TSA’s CAT II machines. Georgia was successful in its efforts to get customers to opt into digital driver’s license and ID in Apple Wallet with over 150,000 customers provisioned in less than a month. They have since surpassed the quarter of a million mark. One of the unintended benefits of the service that DDS has provided with the digital credential has been the positive impact on Georgians with disabilities. Georgia’s digital driver’s license and ID offers more accessibility for people with paralysis or limited hand function. It offers a newfound convenience, independence, and security for Georgians facing mobility challenges.