The "DOOM" Guy's AI Passion Project

Legendary coder and revered video game developer John Carmack has stated that he has begun a project focused on the development of AGI: Artificial General Intelligence.



AGI is a type of AI that learns and acts much like normal humans do. In other words, Carmack is pursuing an AI capable of learning, problem solving, and behaving much like us. If images of the classic "the AI has gone rogue" trope just flashed in your mind then you are on the money, except hopefully Carmack will lean on the side of the "good" kind of AI like R2D2. Given Carmack's prowess in the realm of video games and virtual reality, if anyone can make headway in such an endeavor I believe it to be him. Time will tell if such a journey will yield the advancement of mankind or its destruction.

The TechCrunch Article

Only AI Can Prevent Wildfires

A San Francisco-based AI company, Chooch AI, has begun developing an AI program that would be capable of identifying fires before they even have a chance of spreading.


The current issue with fire prevention is that it is often too slow. Oftentimes by the time a fire is reported it is too late, as the fire has had the opportunity to gain traction making the situation even more difficult. What Chooch AI is attempting to develop is an AI capable of analyzing satellite imagery to determine where a fire has the potential of starting. It would do this via infrared to detect signs of smoke and heat, as well as identify where certain plots of vegetation are too close to power lines. Another goal is to enable this program to be able to constantly and regularly make scans of California's vast forest ranges. The technology is expected to be at a usable phase by next fire season. With over $25 billion in damages caused by the wildfire in just these past few weeks, Chooch AI could provide the solution to this epidemic.

The Washington Post Article