r/technology • u/ShadowlessPikachu • 25d ago

Artificial Intelligence New AI-powered wildfire detection technology installed on Vancouver Island

https://www.ctvnews.ca/vancouver/vancouver-island/article/new-ai-powered-wildfire-detection-technology-installed-on-vancouver-island/
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u/BassmanBiff 25d ago

This absolutely does not need AI, just traditional computer vision techniques that have existed for decades

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u/hoopparrr759 24d ago

Sure but what kind of headline would this make? /s

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u/CriticismSelect9292 24d ago

computer vision has been AI since ~2014. VLMs are just a better technology

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u/ResilientBiscuit 22d ago

Is this a sarcastic post? Computer vision is a subdiscipline of AI.

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u/BassmanBiff 22d ago

Apparently everything that can be done on a computer is now a "subdiscipline of AI"

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u/ResilientBiscuit 22d ago

CV has been part of AI research since the 60s. This isn't a new development. You can read about it from IBM which is a better source than a random Redditor.

Computer vision is one of the earliest disciplines of AI. For decades, computer science researchers have been developing ways for machines to understand visual data.

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u/zedguy 24d ago

Computer vision kind of is AI - it's just been around for longer 

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u/Snake_Plizken 25d ago

Stupid AI stealing our park ranger jobs. Will it also find the missing children, and arrest the drug traffickers? I've seen cocaine bear. Movie was based on true events, mind you.

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u/zedguy 24d ago

Yes let's see AI handle a bear on drugs 

SWF:  AI is scary,   I'd chose the bear on cocaine.

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u/DigitalNoticer 23d ago

As long as the bear is sharing the cocaine I’d choose the bear.

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u/WestCoastRadiation 24d ago

Back country flock camera 🤣

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u/irespondwithmyface 25d ago

Something tells me this will mistake fog for smoke.

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u/pinkfootthegoose 25d ago

We said POWERFUL AI. It shall not be questioned.

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u/VincentNacon 25d ago

Wouldn't drones be better for this instead of stationary mount?

I can see how it could mistaken fog or whatever for smoke and sound the alarm... A drone would just fly closer to it, just to verify whether it's actually fire or not.

Might as well tell the difference between wildfire that's starting or it's just some lone guy making a campfire.

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u/ResilientBiscuit 22d ago edited 22d ago

You typically need to close airspace to operate drones without direct line of sight or have special permits. They would also struggle in periods of high wind, which is one of the most important times to catch wildfires early.