Nancy Mace Hitches Her Wagon to the Hertz AI-Scanner Controversy

Car rental giant Hertz is in the hot seat, after customers have come out of the woodwork to complain that the company’s newly instituted AI scanners are charging them outrageous fees over minor issues. Now the system reportedly has the attention of one of Congress’s most artificially intelligent members.

The company recently rolled out the scanners as part of a partnership with Israeli firm UVeye, whose products were originally developed as a homeland security device—designed to detect guns and bombs. Its executives ultimately decided to make money by scanning cars. UVeye’s product is described as an “AI-driven inspection technology,” and is designed to assess returned cars for damages.

According to The New York Post, “dozens” of Hertz customers have complained about the company’s AI scanners, with many claiming they’re being sent huge bills for minor scuffs and scrapes. On Reddit, the scanners have also gotten a lot of hate.

The Drive recently interviewed a Hertz customer who said he was charged $440 over a minor scuff on the tire’s hub. When the customer attempted to reach a human, he says he was faced with a complicated, not altogether clear system for filing a complaint. The outlet writes, of the customer’s ordeal:

When he returned the car, he did so with a 1-inch scuff on the driver’s side rear wheel. Patrick says he was alerted to the damage “minutes” after dropping the VW off, and with it, charges for the blemish: $250 for the repair, $125 for processing, and another $65 administrative fee. That’s $440 all told, for curb rash on one wheel.

Now, so much animosity has built up against the rental giant’s automated system that congressional curiosity has settled on the company in the unlikely form of U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-South Carolina). The Post writes that Mace, who is mostly known for her unhinged opinions about immigrants, liberals, and the LGBTQ community, sent a letter to Hertz CEO Gil West this week, asking for clarification about the company’s use of AI. The exact contents of the letter aren’t clear, although the Post writes the following of Mace’s inquiry:

Rep. Nancy Mace, who chairs the House Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology and Government Innovation, asked Hertz CEO Gil West to provide her office with a “better understanding” of the company’s “experience as an early adopter of AI scanning technology,” according to the letter obtained by The Post. The South Carolina congresswoman questioned how the AI scanners “may impact” Hertz’s “work as a vendor to the Federal government.”

Gizmodo reached out to Mace’s office and Hertz for comment. In a statement previously shared with the Post, Hertz vaguely defended the new system: “The vast majority of rentals are incident-free. When damage does occur, our goal is to enhance the rental experience by bringing greater transparency, precision, and speed to the process.”

Mace is clearly an imperfect vector to probe this issue. She recently bragged about securing infrastructure funding that she voted against in 2021, so don’t expect much from the congresswoman. But now that Hertz’s practices have received such high-level notice, maybe a lawmaker who is a serious person will step in and review the situation.