- Making beaches safer for swimmers
- AI suicide helpline ensures help reaches those who need it most
- Using AI and drones to find missing people
- This AI-powered pregnancy monitoring device promises to save women’s lives
- AI accelerates landmine detection in Ukraine
Artificial intelligence (AI) technology has been a topic of much debate and controversy in recent years. Often, discussions surrounding AI focus on its potential negative impacts, such as the displacement of human labour and the looming threat of job losses across various industries. Some even go so far as to proclaim AI an existential threat to humanity, painting a bleak picture of a future dominated by machines. However, this narrow perspective fails to recognise the immense potential of AI to positively impact our world and improve the lives of countless individuals.
Despite the concerns raised by its detractors, AI has the power to revolutionise industries, streamline processes, and solve complex problems that have long plagued society. From healthcare and education to environmental conservation and disaster response, the applications of AI are vast and far-reaching. In fact, AI is not only capable of enhancing our quality of life but also has the remarkable ability to save lives in ways that were once unimaginable. By harnessing the power of machine learning, deep neural networks, and other cutting-edge technologies, we can develop novel solutions that have the potential to prevent diseases, mitigate risks, and provide life-saving interventions in critical situations.
Making beaches safer for swimmers
Picture this: you’re swimming in the ocean, blissfully unaware of the powerful rip current that’s slowly pulling you away from shore. Suddenly, a lifeguard springs into action, alerted by a cutting-edge AI system that detected the hazard in real time. Thanks to this life-saving technology, you’re quickly rescued and brought back to safety, avoiding a potentially tragic outcome. While this may sound like a scene from a science fiction movie, it’s actually a real system being developed by Professor Alex Pang and his colleagues at the University of California Santa Cruz, who are harnessing the power of artificial intelligence to make your beach experience safer than ever before. Rip currents, often invisible from the shore, are responsible for a staggering 80 per cent of ocean lifeguard interventions. Also known as riptides, these dangerous currents can appear out of nowhere, dragging even the strongest swimmers into deep water and leaving them exhausted and at risk of drowning. But with Pang’s AI-powered rip current detector, such incidents could soon become a thing of the past.
By training their system with countless images of rip currents, Pang’s team has created a machine-learning model that can spot these dangerous currents in live video feeds. Once perfected, the technology could be integrated into a nationwide network of cameras, continuously monitoring beaches and alerting lifeguards when a rip current is detected near swimmers. “Ideally, the system will send alerts to lifeguards only if there are people detected in the rip. If necessary, it can distinguish between people and surfers”, says Pang. But the potential applications don’t stop there. Pang also envisions a smartphone app that can detect rip currents even when you’re at a beach with no internet connection. Simply record a video of the water, and the app will analyse it, warning you of any potential dangers and contributing to a growing pool of data that helps improve the accuracy of the detection system over time. While this groundbreaking technology won’t eliminate the need for trained lifeguards, it could prove invaluable in situations where a bystander fails to notice a swimmer in distress. By automatically dispatching rescue personnel, the AI system could buy precious time and ultimately save lives.
“It usually takes no more than three questions for the AI to decide whether a caller should be passed on to a human counsellor”.
Thomas Noermark, head of the Global Innovation Team at NTT DATA Business Solutions
AI suicide helpline ensures help reaches those who need it most
When life feels overwhelming, and the thought of ending it all takes hold, hope can still be found. The dedicated staff at the suicide hotline of Frankfurt University Hospital stand ready to help, offering a lifeline to those on the brink of despair. These trained professionals have the crucial task of guiding individuals in crisis back to safety, encouraging them to choose life over death. However, reaching those who are truly in need can be difficult due to the high volume of calls from people who, while in distress, are not actually considering suicide. Thomas Noermark, head of the Global Innovation Team at NTT DATA Business Solutions, has witnessed firsthand the challenges faced by the hotline. “Some people call the hotline because their dog just died or their kids won’t listen to them. Sometimes it is teachers who have had a particularly stressful day”, he explains. These calls, while still important, take time away from those who are in immediate danger.
To ensure that help reaches those who truly need it, Normark has developed an AI system that basically acts as a first line of defence, quickly identifying callers who are at risk of suicide. No longer will desperate individuals be left waiting, their pleas for help lost in a sea of less urgent calls. Instead, they will be greeted by a compassionate AI voice, which will ask them a few targeted questions to determine the severity of their situation. Those deemed to be in immediate danger will be seamlessly connected to a human counsellor, receiving the support they so desperately need. “It usually takes no more than three questions for the AI to decide whether a caller should be passed on to a human counsellor”, adds Noermark. The impact of this AI-powered approach could be significant. For one, it could enable the hotline to expand its reach, growing from a regional service to a nationwide resource. It could also serve as a model for other suicide prevention organisations around the world, changing the way we approach mental health crises. However, the journey to making this vision a reality is not without obstacles.
At first, Noermark and his team hoped to train the AI using recordings of real conversations, but data protection considerations made this unfeasible. Undeterred, they developed a series of roleplays carefully designed to cover a wide range of scenarios. These simulations were conducted, recorded, and used to train the AI, bringing it to a point where it can reliably identify suicidal callers in controlled settings. But when dealing with a matter as sensitive as human life, accuracy is essential. The consequences of an AI failing to recognise a suicidal caller are unthinkable. “It would be terrible if someone were to commit suicide after calling the hotline and their surviving relatives were to put the blame on our AI”, admits Noermark. While no system, human or artificial, can ever be perfect, his team is determined to minimise mistakes. “We will need to be able to empirically demonstrate that more suicidal people got through to a hotline counsellor after our technology was introduced”, he adds.
Using AI and drones to find missing people
For families whose loved ones have gone missing, the experience is nothing short of a living nightmare. The uncertainty, the helplessness, and the desperate hope for a miracle can consume every waking moment. In Spain, this heartbreaking reality is compounded by a startling fact: nearly half of all missing persons over the age of 70 are living with Alzheimer’s disease. The thought of an elderly family member, their memories slowly erased by this cruel condition, wandering lost and alone is enough to chill the blood. But it’s not just Alzheimer’s patients who are at risk. From hikers lost in the wilderness to victims of natural disasters, the need for swift and effective search and rescue operations has never been more pressing. This is where DroneFinder comes in.
Developed in a collaboration between Aeromedia, Indra, and ITG, this innovative solution combines drones and artificial intelligence to scan vast areas in record time, analysing images from both regular and thermal cameras to pinpoint the location of those who have disappeared. The system is so advanced that it can even detect electronic devices carried by the missing person, such as a smartwatch or wristband. This information is instantly relayed to emergency teams, allowing them to focus their efforts and resources where they’re needed most. The race against time is a critical factor in any missing person case, but it’s especially crucial for those with cognitive impairments, neurodegenerative diseases, or disabilities.
The first 48 hours can often make the difference between a joyful reunion and a devastating loss. DroneFinder’s ability to rapidly locate missing individuals in this critical window is a game-changer, offering hope to families who have endured the unimaginable. The system has already proven its worth in a series of real-world tests, spanning diverse environments from urban fringes to remote coastal regions. In partnership with the Galician Emergency Agency (AXEGA) and members of the State Security Forces and Corps, DroneFinder has been deployed in 11 search and rescue missions, showcasing its effectiveness and reliability. The next step is to integrate this life-saving technology into the existing systems used by public emergency services, health organisations, and law enforcement agencies, ensuring that it’s readily available when every second counts.
The first 48 hours can often make the difference between a joyful reunion and a devastating loss. DroneFinder’s ability to rapidly locate missing individuals in this critical window is a game-changer, offering hope to families who have endured the unimaginable. The system has already proven its worth in a series of real-world tests, spanning diverse environments from urban fringes to remote coastal regions. In partnership with the Galician Emergency Agency (AXEGA) and members of the State Security Forces and Corps, DroneFinder has been deployed in 11 search and rescue missions, showcasing its effectiveness and reliability. The next step is to integrate this life-saving technology into the existing systems used by public emergency services, health organisations, and law enforcement agencies, ensuring that it’s readily available when every second counts.
“What we’re doing is providing an early warning system to alert clinicians a woman is about to haemorrhage. It gives them the opportunity to be ready with drugs, devices, and various preventative measures”.
Tara Croft, the CEO of Baymator
This AI-powered pregnancy monitoring device promises to save women’s lives
The birth of a child should be a time of unbridled joy, but for too many mothers around the world, it is a moment fraught with unimaginable danger. In the United States, maternal mortality rates have surged, with mothers now facing a risk of death 2.4 times higher than just 30 years ago. Globally, the picture is even more grim, with 2.6 million babies lost to stillbirth each year. Among the most terrifying threats is postpartum haemorrhage (PPH), a condition where excessive blood loss after childbirth can quickly turn deadly. Every seven minutes, somewhere in the world, a mother loses her life to PPH. Even for those who survive, the physical and emotional scars can be devastating, affecting up to three out of every 100 births.
Shockingly, despite the advancements in medical technology, the way we monitor maternal and fetal health during labour has remained largely unchanged for the past six decades. Doctors and midwives still rely on the same basic indicators: the mother’s heartbeat, the baby’s heartbeat, and the pattern of contractions. This leaves them powerless to predict or prevent PPH, forced to watch and wait as the clock ticks down. In a situation where every second counts, the absence of an early warning system has been a glaring oversight. But one woman, Dr Sarah McDonald, refused to accept this status quo. Fueled by a determination to save lives, she created Oli, a wearable device that uses cutting-edge sensors and artificial intelligence to detect the warning signs of PPH during labour long before any visible bleeding occurs.
“What we’re doing is providing an early warning system to alert clinicians a woman is about to haemorrhage. It gives them the opportunity to be ready with drugs, devices, and various preventative measures”, explains Tara Croft, the CEO of Baymator, the Australian company developing the device. By alerting doctors and nurses to the risk of PPH a full hour before birth, this device could be the difference between life and death for countless mothers and babies. Oli is the first and only tool capable of identifying women at high risk of PPH before labour even begins, offering hope for a future where emergency hysterectomies and the trauma they bring can be prevented. “We’ve created an opportunity to transform and reinvent a natural part of health care — pregnancy and labour — that has been essentially ignored, to save a lot of lives, to prevent a lot of mental health struggles and other long-term adverse health impacts”, adds Croft. Recognising Oli’s potential to fill a critical gap in maternal care, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has already granted it breakthrough device designation, opening the door for it to become commercially available in the US and Australia by 2025.
AI accelerates landmine detection in Ukraine
Landmines and unexploded bombs continue to pose a deadly risk to innocent people long after wars have ended, turning once-thriving areas into dangerous wastelands. These hidden threats take countless lives and cause severe injuries, making it difficult for people who have been forced to flee their homes to return safely and rebuild their communities. To tackle this urgent humanitarian problem, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has joined forces with Japanese experts and technology giant NEC to accelerate the detection and clearance of these lethal remnants of war. Over the course of a three-year partnership, the Red Cross will use an innovative system that employs drones and artificial intelligence to capture images of its surroundings and detect any landmines or bombs that may have been left behind in war-torn regions.
According to ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric, this system will prove invaluable in countries like Ethiopia and Ukraine, where anti-personnel weapons continue to take a heavy toll on civilian lives. Erik Tollefsen, head of the committee’s weapon contamination unit, highlights the unparalleled efficiency of this new approach. “In one day, the flying machine can do the work of a dog in six months”, he says. “While a deminer will identify mines over an area of around 50 square metres in one day, the drone will be able to do it in four flights and will have done the same work over 100,000 sq metres”. Equipped with infrared cameras, the drones can capture detailed images from several meters above the ground, even detecting landmines buried beneath the surface. By leveraging these advancements, the Red Cross and its partners are set to make significant progress in reducing casualties caused by landmines and helping displaced people return home more quickly and safely.
Closing thoughts
The innovative applications of AI span a wide range of domains, each tackling a unique set of problems. From the shores of our beaches to the war-torn landscapes of Ukraine, AI is proving to be a powerful ally in the quest to save lives and alleviate suffering. As we marvel at the many ways AI is being used to help people, it’s clear that this technology has the power to change lives for the better. By bringing together the brightest minds from across the spectrum of human endeavour — from engineers and scientists to humanitarians and visionaries — we can continue to explore new possibilities, using AI to create a safer, healthier, and more compassionate world. In the face of the complex challenges that lie ahead, one question remains: how will we, as a global community, choose to wield the unparalleled power of artificial intelligence? Will we use it to bridge divides, to heal wounds, and to uplift the most vulnerable among us? Or will we allow it to become yet another tool of division and conflict? The answer, ultimately, lies in our hands.
