Announcements on the beach

Rimini searches for lost children with AI

It's easy to get lost on the beach in Rimini amidst the many holidaymakers, sun loungers and parasols.

(Bild: stock.adobe.com)

Every parent's nightmare on summer vacation: the beach is completely overcrowded and suddenly the child is gone. In the classic seaside resort of Rimini on the Italian Adriatic, artificial intelligence is now helping foreign vacationers to find lost children.

With the help of a new computer program, children can be called out in more than 100 different languages - including German - via the loudspeakers that have been installed there for decades.

The loudspeakers for important announcements have been in place in Rimini since 1946. Initially there were only seven, but now there are almost 150. The pitch is also changed depending on the urgency. The "voice of the beach" also has its own name: Publiphono. According to the operating company, more than 130,000 children have been returned to their parents over the years.

250 lost children reported so far this season
According to reports in the local press, around 250 reports of loss have been broadcast so far this season. Most of them involved children, but also older beach visitors and dogs. According to the local newspaper "Corriere di Romagna", AI was used in around ten percent of cases.

A spokesperson for the operating company said: "The application differs from ordinary language programs in that it uses deep neural networks and machine learning algorithms, which enables more thorough and sophisticated texts." Other languages include Dutch and Russian.

The lifeguards expressed their satisfaction with the help provided by AI. However, they also recommend remembering exactly which beach you are on - and the color of your child's bikini, swimsuit or swimming trunks.