When you hear artificial intelligence (AI), your mind probably jumps to self-driving cars, smart home assistants or maybe robots straight out of a sci-fi flick. But here’s a twist: AI is quietly working behind the scenes to improve something we all rely on every single day—clean water. This timely and interesting topic came to us from EurekAlert! in their article, “Artificial intelligence helps produce clean water.”

For many of us, clean water feels like a no-brainer. Turn on the tap, fill your glass and you’re good to go. But for millions of people around the world, access to safe water is anything but simple. Pollution, climate change and growing populations are putting major stress on water supplies. That’s where AI comes in, acting like a super-smart lifeguard—always watching, analyzing and stepping in before problems spiral out of control.

AI is changing how we monitor water quality. Old-school methods involved collecting water samples and sending them to a lab—not exactly quick or efficient. Now, AI-powered sensors can track water quality in real time. Deployed in lakes, rivers and treatment plants, these sensors analyze data like temperature, pH levels and contaminants, flagging any issues before they become full-blown disasters.

In drought-prone areas, AI is stepping up, too. Researchers are using machine learning to predict droughts and help farmers manage irrigation better. AI can figure out exactly how much water crops need, cutting down on waste and conserving water in dry regions. This keeps farms running and ensures communities have enough water to go around.

The tricky part is that many organizations still don’t fully understand how AI makes its decisions or how to interpret its results. That’s where explainable AI comes into play. It’s all about making AI’s processes clear and understandable so people can trust its insights. Explainable AI helps users see how a model works, its potential impact and any biases it might have. When applied to water management, it means we’ll not only get smarter solutions but also ones we can truly rely on.

Melody K. Smith

Data Harmony is an award-winning semantic suite that leverages explainable AI.

Sponsored by Access Innovations, uniquely positioned to help you in your AI journey.