Lots across the U.S. are using systems that let customers park their cars without swiping a credit card or paying an attendant. AI company Metropolis bought SP+ Parking, one of the biggest parking companies in the world, and added its AI-recognition technology to thousands of parking lots across the United States. The system requires a driver to enter their credit card information the first time they park, using a QR code, and then an AI camera system recognizes their vehicle by its license plate and charges them for the duration of their stay. Drivers have to provide their credit card information only the first time they use the service. On subsequent parking trips, they just drive into the lot and the system charges them appropriately. This method of parking will become more ubiquitous as consumers become accustomed to the ease and convenience, said Andrew Radlow, an industry consultant and former executive for the now defunct cashierless payment provider Grabango, who advises companies like Metropolis. “You literally have the ability to just drive in,” Radlow said. “The experience of waiting to get in, or waiting for someone to take your ticket is all obviated by AI.” The payment method is also used at toll booths and now accounts for millions of transactions daily, Radlow said. The AI-assisted parking system is one of the ways the payments industry is embracing embedded methods of payment, according to industry insiders.