Detecting wildfires with ChatGPT

Most fifth-grade science projects end up in a closet. Ryan Honary’s became SensoRy AI—a wildfire detection system that identifies fires at ignition and alerts firefighters before a spark becomes catastrophic. Ryan’s sensors monitor remote terrain for heat, smoke, flame, and plume activity. When a potential fire is detected, ChatGPT turns complex sensor data into clear alerts firefighters and residents can act on. Follow Ryan from his garage workshop, where he tested his first prototype with a hair dryer, to the hills above Laguna Beach, where his sensor network now watches over the city. Along the way, he uses ChatGPT hands-free while working in the field and shows firefighters how to ask the sensors questions about a potential fire through a walkie-talkie he built using ChatGPT. As he heads off to college, his goal remains the same – to help firefighters respond quicker and make communities safer from wildfires.