Artificial Intelligence can do much more than generate online content. It holds the power to transform physical safety and save human lives by predicting road crashes. Piyush Tewari, Founder and CEO of SaveLife Foundation, made this strong statement at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos.
Personal Tragedy Drives AI Innovation
Tewari entered the road safety field after losing a young family member in a tragic accident. His organization now focuses heavily on using AI for predictive analysis. He praised the Government of India for its strong push to integrate AI into road safety measures.
Government Backs AI for Crash Data
Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari recently announced a new initiative. This program will use AI to interpret road crash data and deliver faster insights. Tewari emphasized the potential of combining data points to predict accidents before they happen.
"Can we predict road crashes by bringing some data points together?" Tewari asked. "There's definitely a huge amount of application, and the signs are very much positive."
Seven Years of Practical AI Implementation
SaveLife Foundation has actively used AI for the past seven to eight years. The organization trained cameras with AI technology and fixed them with drones. This system preemptively identifies parked vehicles on highways to prevent rear-end collisions.
"Rear-end collisions are a big issue when it comes to road safety," Tewari explained.
AI Cameras Map Dangerous Intersections
The foundation also deployed AI-trained cameras at intersections. These cameras identify conflicts between vehicles and create heatmaps of high-risk areas. They define conflicts based on proximity and other critical factors.
Tewari is participating in AI and social innovation sessions at WEF. He highlighted the significant application of AI across the entire road safety domain.
Grassroots Experience from India
"I hope to be contributing with regard to our experience of using it in India at a very, very grassroots level," Tewari stated.
AI Accelerates Decision-Making
He stressed that AI has the ability to transform lives dramatically. Decisions and thought processes that might take months can now be completed in hours or minutes using AI.
"We have to make AI more accessible to the public," Tewari urged. "The Government of India's mission is also to make it more accessible. So we are very much aligned with the idea of using AI to make mobility safer."
The integration of AI into road safety represents a major step forward. It combines technology with practical, life-saving applications that benefit humanity directly.
