Jan. 15 - In response to the security challenges posed by the world's largest religious gathering, theIndiaThe Government, in the currentKettle Festival（The first large-scale deployment of artificial intelligence technology in the Maha Kumbh Mela.Through advanced equipment such as face recognition cameras, underwater drones and robotic buoysIt is the first of its kind in the world, providing security for nearly 450 million pilgrims.
The six-week religious event kicked off on January 13 in the northern Indian city of Prayagraj. A major religious event held every ten years, the Jumbo Jug Festival is attended by more people than the combined populations of the United States and Canada. To ensure the safety of the event, the local government installed thousands of cameras at the venue to monitor crowd movements in real time.
"This is the first time that the Kettle Festival has used face recognition and artificial intelligence technology to find lost persons," said Rajesh Dwivedi, senior superintendent of police in charge of technology applications for the event. While the technology is not foolproof, the police are striving to achieve "the best possible use of the technology".
In such a large and noisy gathering, lost children, elderly people and even those who have been deliberately abandoned have been a major challenge for organizers. Over the past few decades, organizers have relied heavily on lost and found stations and public address systems to locate lost people, but the success rate has been inconsistent. AI technology is expected to significantly improve the efficiency of people searching, said Dwivedi.
It was noted that once a relative reported a person missing at the designated counter at the venue, theAI tool will generate digital images of missing people and scan the crowd through thousands of camerasThe rally was not as well organized as at a well-lit mall or train station. Although the crowds at the rally did not move as orderly as at well-lit shopping malls or train stations, local media reported that more than 250 lost people were reunited with their families on the first day of the event.
In addition to AI technology, this year's Kettle Festival features new technologies such as RFID wristbands and a real-time location mobile app. The wristbands store information such as emergency contacts and medical records, while the mobile app allows participants to share real-time locations.
In order to prevent stampedes.Cameras installed at strategic locations in the venue provide officials with real-time early warning of crowd build-ups and sudden mass movementsThe festival has a history of fatal stampedes. Historically, the Kettle Festival has been the scene of several fatal stampedes, the most recent being the 2013 train station stampede that killed dozens of people.
According to 1AI, apart from safety and security, AI technology is also playing an important role in monitoring the cleanliness of the venue and managing the parking of 500,000 vehicles per day. Bengaluru startup Krutrim launched an AI chatbot supporting 11 Indian languages to counsel pilgrims. Google, on the other hand, provided an AI map of the makeshift tent city of Prayagraj, marking the location of event venues and emergency aid facilities. PhonePe, a Walmart company, has launched a travel insurance policy for less than Rs. 99 (note: currently around Rs. 8.4) to cover pilgrims against accidents and emergencies.
However, the large-scale use of digital technology also poses a number of potential risks. The latest cyber threat report by the Data Security Council of India shows that Uttar Pradesh, the host state, has one of the ten highest malware detection rates in the country. Before the event began, fraudsters had already been scamming using fake websites offering non-existent accommodation services. In response, the local police have produced a special short film starring Bollywood actor Sanjay Mishra for an anti-fraud awareness campaign.