Approximately 60% of Austrians commute to work by car, contributing to traffic congestion, physical inactivity, and increasing carbon emissions. The AI-CENTIVE project aims to fundamentally alter this pattern by making sustainable transportation options more attractive and rewarding. In our latest webinar on March 6 consortium partner ummadum showcased its progress within the project.
“We’re not just creating another mobility app,” explained Egon Prünster, Chief Technology Officer at ummadum. “We’re building an ecosystem that connects sustainable mobility with gamification, benefits, and local retail partners to fundamentally change user behavior.”
The statistics are compelling – with 60% of Austrians commuting to work by car, the environmental and infrastructural challenges are significant. The AI-CENTIVE community within the ummadum platform is addressing these challenges head-on, having already attracted over 1,450 participants who have collectively logged 295,000 sustainable mobility activities and saved an impressive 331 tons of CO2.
AI-Powered Incentivization
What sets this initiative apart is its sophisticated use of artificial intelligence to deliver personalized incentives. The system employs several innovative approaches:
AI success notifications that recognize and reward past sustainable mobility choices AI recommendations that suggest future eco-friendly options based on user behavior, location, and preferences Weather-aware notifications that incorporate environmental conditions into mobility suggestions The gamification elements include rank-based challenges where users compete against others in the community, as well as drawing-based challenges where each sustainable activity serves as a lottery ticket, increasing chances to win prizes.
Data-Driven Insights
The project has already yielded insights into mobility patterns. Data analysis reveals clear temporal patterns in activity distribution across different hours of the day and days of the week. Geographic distribution shows engagement across both rural and metropolitan areas, suggesting the approach has broad applicability.
“The systematic data analysis allows us to understand behavioral changes in participants and measure the real impact of different incentives on sustainable mobility choices,” noted Günther, IT Solutions Architect at ummadum.
Corporate Sustainability and ESG Compliance
Beyond individual behavior change, the initiative offers significant benefits to corporations navigating increasingly stringent ESG requirements. Companies with more than 250 employees must now report on Scope 3 emissions, which include those generated by employee commuting.
“Our platform helps organizations like Swarovski and Novartis document their CO2 emission reductions and meet sustainability goals while providing tangible benefits to their employees,” Prünster explained.
The Road Ahead
Looking forward, the AI-CENTIVE project is expanding its incentive models with more sophisticated AI prediction capabilities, improved weather integration, and enhanced data-driven challenge incentives. The team is conducting systematic analyses of behavioral changes and incentive impacts, with the goal of scaling these models for nationwide implementation by late 2025.
Emilia from consortium partner Data Intelligence Initiative emphasized the collaborative nature of the project: “We’re not just developing technology; we’re building a community that actively shapes the future of sustainable mobility.”
Want to be part of the future of sustainable mobility?
You can join the AI-CENTIVE community by downloading the ummadum-App from Google Play or the App Store scan the QR code or follow these instructions. By participating, users not only receive AI-based incentives and rewards but also contribute to shaping the future of sustainable mobility in Austria and beyond.
