Silicon Meets Asphalt: Cybersecurity Project Uses AI to Protect Highways

The highways Georgia citizens use each day are built on more than concrete, steel, and asphalt. Getting to and from school, work, or shopping now depends on networked systems using optical fiber, sensors, video cameras, and electronic devices known as programmable logic controllers (PLCs) that help process information.

As part of the existing Georgia Traffic Management Center (TMC), those systems notify drivers of changing highway conditions, operate traffic management devices, and help the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) identify and respond to traffic issues requiring immediate attention.

In December 2025, Georgia Tech cybersecurity researchers began working with GDOT to ensure the security of those networked systems and devices. As part of this advanced cybersecurity project, they are applying machine learning (ML), a type of artificial intelligence (AI), to safeguard existing systems and set the stage for future automation.

“With GDOT, we’ve launched a foundational effort to think more about cybersecurity, the cyber resilience of transportation-related networks, and how aspects of AI could be leveraged to ensure safety, security, and trust in these critical transportation systems,” said Yatis Dodia, a senior research engineer at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) and Georgia Tech School of Cybersecurity and Privacy (SCP).