Aixal Consulting ’s Post

Would you trust Technology to protect you from wildfires?    Following Canada’s worst wildfire season on record, this is currently up for debate.     With more work than ever to do and 9,500 volunteer firefighters quitting in 2023, it is clear to see why many are looking to Technology and AI to better support the critical role of firefighters and, more specifically, fire lookouts.     Living alone in remote locations for up to six months, fire lookouts watch the horizon and report the first signs of a wildfire - the goal being to catch fires quickly and expedite the emergency response.     AI technologies like drones are a logical alternative for this job, operating independently to reduce costs and staffing demand.     But while technologies like these can aid and complement the role of fire lookouts, the fact is they are not currently, and may never be, able to take over the job entirely. And by focusing too much on the Technology, we run the risk of overlooking and overworking the people who are presently responsible for keeping us safe.     In 2023, after testing six systems that use a combination of cameras, sensors, AI and machine learning, Alberta found that none of these systems could beat the detection of a human lookout.   As Trina Moyles – who has served as a fire lookout for the past seven seasons – said: "Technology has a role to play, but Technology is a tool and, at the end of the day, it's a person who's making the decision how to use that Technology. So we really do need to invest in personnel and people."    As with many other industries and use cases, just because technology could, in theory, replace humans does not necessarily mean it should.    https://lnkd.in/ejiVZwNR    #Technology #AI #Leader

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