As Oregon and California mega wildfires burn, is A.I. a help or a hindrance? [Video]

Large forest fires fueled by climate change have burned over 1 million acres in California and Oregon, marking a particularly destructive start to wildfire season and hastening the need for new solutions.

It’s no surprise that much of that focus is on artificial intelligence, a burgeoning and hopeful technology that has also stirred fears and anxiety about its potential consequences, such as eliminating human jobs and industries.

AI is already used to mitigate the threat of wildfires nationwide, helping communities in the drought-hit West and places like Maui find, avoid, fight, and recover from them.

AI can help detect the first signs of smoke, spot fires from satellites, and predict where fires …