Episode 8 | June 20, 2024 

Robots to the Rescue: AI Revolutionizes Disaster Response

 

This episode explores how artificial intelligence and robotics — including drones — are revolutionizing disaster response. The use of drones — particularly small consumer drones — has become standard in disaster response due to their affordability and ease of use. AI is used to enhance disaster response by predicting natural weather disasters and helping first responders make better decisions about resource allocation and evacuation routes. AI can also analyze data from disasters to create predictive models and identify vulnerabilities. Ethical considerations include accountability for decision-making and the potential for biases in AI algorithms. The future of AI in disaster response includes improved decision-making algorithms for robots and drones and faster response times.

Joining us are two disaster response experts: Robin Murphy is a professor of computer science and engineering at Texas A&M University and leads the Texas A&M team in Carnegie Mellon’s AI Institute for Societal Decision Making. Robin is considered to be the founder of and the leading practitioner in disaster robotics. Robin has been an active field responder, using robots, drones, and AI in more than 30 disasters in five countries. Aarti Singh is a professor in the machine learning department at Carnegie Mellon University and the director of the National Science Foundation's AI Institute for Societal Decision Making at Carnegie Mellon.