And (by how I understood it) the point of the I1I1 plate was that it wasn’t easily discernible and the camera couldn’t identify it correctly

the point was it was hard to read and remember for a human. hence why the witness in the comic gives only vague description, which is what the owner of the sneaky plate hoped for, but due to its uniqueness the police knew and the plate failed to achieve its intended purpose on a spectacular level. there was no automation involved at all.