Can AI save lives at sea? Born from a real Mayday call.
A voice crackles over the radio. Panic. A fire onboard. No location. No number of people. Silence.Now imagine if AI could step in, capture the message, fill in the gaps, call for help, save lives.In this episode, we explore how a distress call during a sailing trip became the starting point of a deeptech journey aiming to transform VHF, Β the βwalkie-talkie of the oceanβ, Β into a real-time intelligent safety assistant powered by AI.From hackathon to mission-critical deployment with the French Coast Guard (CROSS), discover how maritime safety may be on the verge of a leapfrog moment.Hereβs what youβll learn in this episode:Β·Β Β Β Β Β Β Β The origin story: a real Mayday call that sparked an innovation journeyΒ·Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Ocean Hackathon β prototype: 48 hours together, pure focus, and nonstop feedback loopsΒ·Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Why it was hard at first: Big Tech overlooked maritime, no relevant data to train modelsΒ·Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Why VHF fails under stress (no replay, accents, missing info) and how AI helps operators capture the essentialsΒ·Β Β Β Β Β Β Β From B2C to B2B/B2G: co-developing with CROSS for mission-critical use, on-site immersion in operationsΒ·Β Β Β Β Β Β Β The smartphone effect at sea: βrent a boat with an appβ β more people, less trained VHF users β too many distress callsΒ·Β Β Β Β Β Β Β The tech, simply: speech-to-text with domain models, call classification, searchable logs, supervisor overviewΒ·Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Data, not hype: why general AI fails at sea and why annotated maritime data (from CROSS) winsΒ·Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Dual-use angles: from safety to security, piracy comms, multilingual signals, and situational awarenessΒ·Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Data protection done right: on-prem vs EU cloud, GDPR, certifications & sovereign choicesΒ·Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Go-to-market reality: competitors, differentiation, and value-based licensing.Β·Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Founder lessons: team fit, funding via contests, patience, and momentumΒ Key question:How do you turn noisy VHF distress calls into life-saving decisions without overwhelming operators or compromising data security?Thank you for listening to BlueTech Around the World! πβ¨π LinkedIn: Vaiata Dynamics π Guest: Γdouard Valletπ‘ Resources and Links:Follow us on LinkedIn: BlueTech PodcastConnect with us on Instagram: @bluetechpodcastWatch our episodes on YouTube: BlueTech Around the WorldVisit our Website: https://www.bluetech-podcast.com/Donβt forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share your favorite episodes to help us spotlight the incredible innovations shaping our oceans. πStay tuned for more inspiring stories and cutting-edge blue technologies!Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.