NSW to give $34 million boost to shark-spotting drones with hope of eventual AI automation

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns announced a significant boost to shark surveillance, pledging an additional $34 million to expand drone patrols across the state's beaches. This enhanced program will commence on Wednesday, offering year-round coverage for all major Sydney beaches and extending to at least one beach in every coastal local government area.

The increased investment follows a recent shark attack on June 13, where a woman was critically injured at Sydney's Coogee Beach. The expanded monitoring initiative aims to reduce the risk for swimmers and surfers by utilizing the latest technology for early warnings of shark presence.

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No one can promise a shark mitigation program that can guarantee that there will be zero encounters with sharks. But our plan here is to reduce the risk for swimmers and surfers in NSW beaches by using the latest technology ... so that you get earlier warning if you're in the water that there is a shark in the vicinity.

While human-controlled drones will form the initial fleet, the program is designed with an eye toward the future. Trials of autonomous, AI-enabled drones are planned for the summer, with the ultimate goal of integrating AI-assisted monitoring. Premier Minns stated that this technology could "make a big difference" by enabling the identification and differentiation of marine life, a capability not previously possible.

Surf Life Saving NSW head Steve Pearce indicated that approximately 500,000 drone flights are anticipated annually under the new program. While shark nets will be retained at some locations, they will be supplemented by this advanced aerial surveillance. Marine biologist Lawrence Chlebeck from Humane World for Animals Australia supported the drone initiative as a superior method for shark detection but urged the government to phase out shark nets due to their impact on other marine animals.

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We want to use old technology and we want to use new technology. When we can roll out automated drones and AI-assisted monitoring, (it) will make a big difference ... because we'll be able to identify and distinguish between different kinds of marine life for the first time.