Man-polar bear conflict averted due to AI-powered detection

As climate change shrinks Arctic sea ice, polar bears are forced to spend more time on land during parts of the summer -- ratcheting up chances of dangerous encounters between humans and polar bears.

Now, AI is helping to keep both the bears and people in safe distance.

At the remote Canadian weather station in Eureka, Nunavut, AI-powered radar system "Bear-dar" captured this footage of a polar bear and her two cubs hunting seals nearby -- and alerted staff about the situation.

Developed by conservation group Polar Bears International, the system uses military grade radar technology to detect bears up to 1 km away -- and is not hampered by weather conditions.

The alert allowed the staff time to get out with their vehicle and very gently push the mom and cubs away. Just give them a little reason not to come any closer. They left without any issue, and there was a nice, successful encounter.And it's not just unexpected encounters with polar bears -- the planet's largest land predators that can be averted.The weather station has Arctic wolves year-round that are a potential security risk for personnel that are going out and taking measurements.

Researchers say as climate change reduces the amount of Arctic ice, forcing the bears to spend more time on land, the number of encounters between people and bears is on the rise so more measures are needed to keep both bears and people in safe distance.

Studies show sea ice in the Arctic has shrunk by about 13% per decade since 1979.