Santa Claus has been delivering to children of the world for years, but this year some people reckon he could start using AI to make the job easier.
AI Ireland founder Mark Kelly said Santa has a “big undertaking” every year that could be made easier with artificial intelligence.
“The reindeer have to 235 million miles in one night to deliver to 526 million children, which is basically 6,100 per second,” he told Down to Business.
“He needs all the help he can get.”
Mr Kelly suggested Santa use “route optimisation” technology to chart the best journey.
“There are weather considerations you have to take in too,” he said. “There could be storms, but also different time zones to work through as well.
“Santa wants to make sure he does it all in the most energy-efficient way possible.”
Reindeer health optimisation
The reindeer can also benefit from AI through health monitoring technology, according to Mr Kelly.
“You’d be able to track the optimal health of the reindeer when they’re going on this journey so they get a little bit of a break,” he said.
During the year as he’s preparing for Christmas, Santa could also use AI to make sure each child has the best presents.
“What AI is is data and algorithms,” Mr Kelly said. “Santa can scan the letters from all the children that have been sent to him from a variety of different languages and use this to actually allocate the right gifts to the right people.
“Now all you have to take into consideration is the naughty and nice list.”
Elves using AI
While the elves are the toymaking experts, Mr Kelly suggested they could use a bit of AI technology themselves to get some of the work done.
“Humanoid robots help with building and making the toys but also making sure that the workshop is really efficient and optimising to have a really effective supply chain,” he said.
“They’re doing the heavy lifting, allowing elves to do more creative design work.”
Santa and his elves are reported to be right on track to have the presents ready for delivery tomorrow, Christmas Eve.
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