Dr Christo Rautenbach: NIWA coastal scientist on new AI program designed to identify rip currents

A potential game-changer for New Zealand water safety. NIWA and Surf Life Saving have developed a rip current identification tool using artificial intelligence, which has had a 90 percent accurate detection rate in trials. Rip currents are narrow, fast-moving segments of water that travel away from the shore and can reach speeds of 2.5 metres a second. They're reported as the most hazardous safety risk to beach-goers globally, and are responsible for more deaths in Australia than bush-fires, floods, cyclones, and shark attacks combined. NIWA coastal scientist, Christo Rautenbach is hopeful the technology will ultimately be rolled out to beaches to alert people to a rip current's presence. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.