Using artificial intelligence when disaster strikes

Artificial intelligence could play a critical role in all phases of disaster resilience, according to "Into the Storm: Using Artificial Intelligence to Improve California's Disaster Resilience," an issue brief the Partnership released with Microsoft in early July. The brief explores the AI tools governments can use for disaster resilience and highlights how agencies are using AI technologies in the field. Considering that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has declared 27 major disasters across the United States in 2020 so far--not including those related to the COVID-19 pandemic--government officials need to think through how they can strengthen their ability to prepare for, respond to and recover from these shocks. Disasters put lives and livelihoods at risk, and governments at all levels--federal, state and local--must seek the best tools available to tackle the complex challenges involved and protect lives. At a release event held in July, Bijan Karimi, assistant deputy director for emergency services at the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management, and Stuart McKee, chief technology officer for state and local government at Microsoft, discussed basic principles disaster resilience officials should keep in mind when considering the use of AI.