How is AI Helping Rescue Efforts After Myanmar’s Devastating Earthquake?

AI is being used to assess damage after Myanmar’s 7.7-magnitude earthquake. In its aftermath, a satellite captured images of Mandalay, near the epicenter, to help AI analyse destruction and guide relief efforts.

A Planet Labs satellite captured images and sent them to Microsoft’s AI for Good Lab, which built a custom AI model tailored to Mandalay instead of using a generic one.

Once processed, the AI identified 515 buildings with near-total destruction and 1,524 with significant damage.

This data not only highlighted the scale of the disaster but also pinpointed the hardest-hit areas. Microsoft warned the analysis is only a preliminary guide and needs on-ground verification.

Meanwhile, it has shared the findings with aid groups like the Red Cross to speed up relief efforts.