Spark New Zealand added heat to rural IoT connectivity competition, working with natural resource protection company Dryad Networks and a local authority to provide advanced warning of wildfires in a major forest.

The set-up in the Waitangi Endowment Forest uses Dryad Networks sensors equipped with AI to detect fires at an early stage and inform the Far North District Council (FNDC) and woodland authorities.

Spark stated the sensors are capable of detecting smouldering, meaning alerts can be generated even when there are no visible signs of smoke or flames to provide early warning and give fire fighters more time to respond, along with enabling swifter evacuation of the forest.

The system is being configured and connected to the internet by Spark company Adroit, with FNDC installing the sensors. The authority is also to match funding for the project provided in a recent round of investment by New Zealand’s Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.

A total of 250 sensors are to be deployed, providing full coverage of Waitangi Endowment Forest. The system is to be in place for 15 years.

FNDC group manager for Corporate Services Charlie Billington said the project is an opportunity to train AI for the setting, localising the technology and making it more accurate.

Further fine-tuning is scheduled for February 2027, when forest managers and owners, iwi and business representatives are set to trek the ground to explain the system and tweak it for specific smoke signatures.

Spark stated there is a broader goal to integrate the set-up with systems used by Fire and Emergency New Zealand.

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Samsung Group unveiled plans for a sweeping transformation of its businesses, introducing AI extensively across its companies covering functions from marketing to manufacturing.

The conglomerate believes widespread adoption across its affiliates, which includes Samsung Electronics, will fundamentally change working style and culture across the organisations.

Samsung highlighted it had pioneered the use of AI in consumer devices and wanted to “strongly apply” it to eight major business processes: development, purchasing, manufacturing, logistics, marketing, sales, service and management support.

“To enhance business competitiveness amid rapidly changing business environments, Samsung plans to officially introduce external generative AI services such as Gemini, ChatGPT, and Claude across all affiliates in June,” the company added.

Specific aims include enhancing productivity in software and marketing, and upping “operational innovation” in manufacturing.

The company asserted AI was not “just a new technology or a simple tool for improving operations, but rather an innovative technique that triggers fundamental changes in management, actively utilising it as a starting point for discovering new growth momentum”.

To help push the initiative all executives from its companies are set to go through a training camp by the end of 2026, with all 50 CEOs to take the course this month.

It plans to extend the training to eventually cover all employees. Dedicated AI teams are also to be placed across the organisation’s businesses.

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