How California firefighters are using artificial intelligence to spot wildfires

California firefighters are using artificial intelligence to help spot wildfires, feeding video from more than 1,000 cameras strategically placed across the state into a machine that alerts first responders when to mobilize. Cal Fire fire captain Kris Yeary watches over screens in his duty captain chair from Cal Fire's San Diego County headquarters in El Cajon, California, U.S. August 4, 2023. Developed by engineers at the University of California San Diego using AI from DigitalPath, a company based in Chico, California, the platform relies on 1,038 cameras put up by various public agencies and power utilities throughout the state, each one capable of rotating 360 degrees at the command of remote operators. "Its 100% applicable throughout anywhere in the world, especially now that we're experiencing a lot larger and more frequent fire regimes and with climate change," said Suzann Leininger, a Cal Fire intelligence specialist in El Cajon, just east of San Diego.