*Seneca said its aerial suppression assets can be hand-carried, transported with a utility vehicle, or stationed and deployed remotely. | Source: Seneca

While humanity is arguing about the ethics of artificial intelligence, Seneca, a California startup, has found an AI application that even the most inveterate skeptic will not object to: extinguishing fires using drones. Raising $60 million is not just another round of financing, but an investment in technology that can change the balance of power in the fight against one of the oldest natural disasters of mankind.

Why is water from the sky no longer enough?

Traditional aircraft for extinguishing fires — helicopters and amphibious aircraft - approach the problem from a bird's—eye view in the literal and figurative sense. They pour tons of water on the burning forest, which is effective for creating barriers, but useless for spot extinguishing fires. Seneca offers a fundamentally different approach: swarms of drones that work at the flame level, not above it.

"Our system identifies individual fires and attacks them directly, instead of watering the entire area," the startup's founders explain.

The technology resembles spot surgery: drones with thermal imagers find the hottest spots, fly up to a distance of several meters and release precisely calculated portions of fire extinguishing agent. It's like putting out a fire with an eyedropper, but hitting every spark with jewel-like precision.

How do these digital firefighters work?

The Seneca system is not just drones with fire extinguishers. It is a complex cybernetic organism:

Eyes in the sky

Multispectral cameras on high-altitude drones scan the area, creating heat maps in real time. They can "see" hidden pockets under the canopy of the forest and predict the direction of fire spread.

Tactical unit

Low-flying extinguishing drones receive the coordinates of targets and independently distribute their areas of responsibility among themselves. Each drone knows which area it is extinguishing, and which is its "partner".

Mobile databases

Charging stations and fire extinguishing agent replenishment points are located at a safe distance from the fire. Drones can autonomously return to refuel and continue operating.

"We have created not just drones, but an entire ecosystem for fighting fire," the developers say.

Why do investors believe in silicon firefighters?

Seneca's attractiveness to investors is explained not only by its noble mission, but also by its iron business logic.:

Economic efficiency

One hour of operation of an amphibious helicopter costs from $10,000. A fleet of 20 Seneca drones costs 10 times less with comparable efficiency in local areas.

Round-the-clock work

Drones do not get tired and can operate at night when traditional aviation is idle.

Zero risk for people

Firefighters no longer have to risk their lives in the midst of a firestorm.

"We are investing in technologies that save lives and resources. Seneca perfectly meets this criterion," the venture fund that participated in the round says.

What challenges do firefighting drones face?

The technology faces major obstacles:

Physics versus Electronics

The turbulence from the fire creates unpredictable air currents that are difficult for small drones to handle.

Smoke and ashes

Smoke particles clog filters and reduce the efficiency of cooling systems.

Regulatory restrictions

Drone flights in disaster areas are often prohibited or restricted.

"The most difficult opponent is not fire, but bureaucracy," says one of the Seneca engineers ironically.

Fire Brigade Management of the future

When dozens of autonomous drones are operating in the sky above a burning forest, the question arises of coordinating their actions. How to distribute tasks between different devices? How can I monitor their condition and effectiveness?

Specialized management platforms may be required to solve such problems. For example, the approach of the world's first ecosystem for hiring robots jobtorob.com based on the creation of digital profiles for autonomous systems, it could be adapted to control fire-fighting drones. The operator could see in real time the "employment" of each drone, the level of its "qualifications" (for example, the ability to work in heavy smoke conditions) and distribute tasks between both experienced firefighters and their mechanical assistants through a single interface.

What's next? A future where fires are extinguished before the start

The success of Seneca opens the way to a fundamentally new paradigm of fire safety:

Predictive extinguishing

AI drones will identify potential sources of ignition before an open flame appears.

Global Rapid Response Network

Fleets of drones will be deployed at strategic locations across the country, ready to fly anywhere within minutes.

Autonomous fire brigades

Human involvement will be reduced to monitoring the operation of fully automated systems.

"We are at the beginning of the road to a world where forest fires will cease to be a natural disaster and become a manageable process," experts predict.

Perhaps soon the column "Experience in managing a swarm of 50 tactical drones" will appear in the resume of a firefighter, and when applying for a job they will ask not only about physical fitness, but also about skills in working with distributed artificial intelligence systems. And the "Water!" command will not mean running around with buckets, but launching a well-coordinated cybernetic system, whose "workbooks" are stored in the next-generation cloud ecosystem.