California firefighters use AI to battle wildfires

California experiences thousands of fires every year, which torch hundreds of thousands -- sometimes millions -- of acres (hectares, wreaking billions of dollars of damage.

But thanks to a new monitoring system that uses artificial intelligence to scan for danger, firefighters are able to spot and contain these blazes before they get out of control. Since the end of June, the ALERT California system has had AI computers "watching" these feeds, and flagging to human operators when they see wisps of smoke that could be a fire with promising results.