SYDNEY (BLOOMBERG) Does the idea to use artificial intelligence (AI), drones and electric force fields to prevent sharks from eating human bathers have teeth? Several tech start-ups in Australia say yes. Officials in the United States are watching the advancements keenly, aware that climate change is altering migration patterns and threatening to push great whites ever closer to American shores. This summer, sharks have attacked teenagers on beaches from California to New York. Sharks typically frequent lower latitudes, but warming oceans are pushing their prey north, said Florida Atlantic University Professor Stephen Kajiura.

As the power of artificial intelligence grows, the likelihood of a future war filled with killer robots grows as well. Proponents suggest that lethal autonomous weapon systems (LAWs) might cause less "collateral damage," while critics warn that giving machines the power of life and death would be a terrible mistake. Last month's UN meeting on'killer robots' in Geneva ended with victory for the machines, as a small number of countries blocked progress towards an international ban. Some opponents of such a ban, like Russia and Israel, were to be expected since both nations already have advanced military AI programs. But surprisingly, the U.S. also agreed with them.

The technology, known as SharkSpotter, uses an algorithm to detect sharks in a live video feed recorded in real time by a drone (known as the Little Ripper Livesaver) flying above the water. Using a world-first algorithm, developed using artificial intelligence and deep neural networks, SharkSpotter is able to distinguish sharks from dolphins, rays and other marine animals, and even surfers. Thanks to an onboard megaphone, the drone can also warn swimmers about what's lurking in the water before they've even seen the threat. Watch the video here: What do you think about this. Let us know in the comments.