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App says it can forecast risk of shark attacks with 89% accuracy

SafeWaters.AI says its goal is to make the app widely available by July.
App says it can forecast risk of shark attacks with 89% accuracy
Posted at 10:46 AM, May 17, 2023
and last updated 2023-05-17 12:46:30-04

Calculating your risk of being attacked by a shark could soon be easier — thanks to artificial intelligence. 

SafeWaters.AI says it will launch an app that can forecast risk of shark attacks with 89% accuracy. 

The developer of SafeWaters.AI says its app analyzes data from a variety of sources, including previous shark attacks, shark sightings, shark movement tracking data and marine weather data. 

SafeWaters.AI launched a fundraising campaign to make it available on the App Store and Google Play. The goal is to have the app widely available by July.  

SEE MORE: Researchers encouraged by thriving great white shark population

According to Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File, there were 57 unprovoked shark bites on humans in 2022 and 32 provoked bites worldwide. Five of the attacks were fatal. 

Waters off the coast of the U.S. account for most shark attacks in the world. The International Shark Attack File reported that there were 41 attacks in 2022. Waters off the coast of Australia were the second-most dangerous for shark attacks, with nine in 2022. 

Swimmers were most likely to be victims of shark attacks, bucking a trend from previous years when surfers topped the category. 

Despite many people having a fear of sharks, experts say the risk of being killed by a shark is 1 in 4,332,817.


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