According to the Kyndryl Readiness Report, telecom industry leaders lag behind other industries in reporting positive returns on their AI, machine learning and generative AI investments. To turn this around, companies must establish deeper partnerships with public and private sectors and capitalize on their strengths in 5G and the Internet of Things (IoT). By doing so, businesses can explore micro-industry verticals and offer specialized services that bring AI to the edge, which drives innovation and growth.
Take, for example, a successful public and private partnership that leverages AI and 5G connectivity. Kyndryl has tested a prototype with wildland firefighters in Catalonia that uses 5G, IoT sensors, a mobile device, cloud technology and AI-powered analytics to distill data into a health status that can be monitored with a dashboard, showing data collected during wildfires, urban fires and in industrial environments. This started as a Kyndryl-led technology project, and as the initiative has grown, we have brought on Kyndryl alliance partners like AWS, the Spanish government and the European Commission for further funding.
What began as a mission to safeguard the health of frontline responders has evolved into a broader effort to enhance safety for industry professionals and enable early fire detection in urban areas prone to wildfires. This innovation underscores Kyndryl’s commitment to harnessing technology — not just to react to crises but to anticipate and mitigate risks — empowering smarter decision-making for a safer future across industries.