For decades, water utilities used armies of technicians with listening sticks to check for leaks. The practice involves prodding the ground with a long metal rod, pressing an ear to the earpiece at the top, and waiting for the hiss of a leak from the pipes beneath.
Now, water companies are turning to AI to improve services. The technology is being deployed to cut leaks, optimise energy use and reduce sewage outflows in a move they hope will improve performance and reduce costs.
Leaders in the field include China, Japan and Singapore, according to Asit Biswas, a leading authority on water management who has advised 23 countries on water and the environment. In Singapore, where Biswas is based, the municipal authorities use AI to collect several terabytes of data every day, helping them anticipate and fix leaks and other problems.