Monday, February 10, 2025

AI ‘lifeguard’ earns prize for Bradford student

A man studying for an Executive MBA at the University of Bradford for his work in developing Deep Blue, which uses an artificial intelligence algorithm to track dozens of swimmers using existing camera networks and highlight potential drownings.

Karl Bay, 44, has won the prestigious Start-Up of the Year Award 2025 in the AMBA & BGA Excellence Awards 2025. 

He said: “Winning this award is recognition for the vision we had for this product and the hard work we have put in. This is a prime example of how AI can enhance our lives. It is not being used to replace humans but to augment their capabilities.” 

Deep Blue is able to track dozens of swimmers at any one time and has been ‘trained’ to spot potential drowning events or swimmers who get into difficulty – if it does detect something untoward, it alerts lifeguards. 

Karl, who was born in Lebanon and has made a career out of developing start-ups, explained: “We will always need lifeguards at swimming pools and beaches. This system is not meant to replace them but to help them. Obviously, there is a limit to the number of people any person can keep track of, on top of which there are other variables such as attention spans and environmental factors. 

“Developing a system that is able to track swimmers who are in the sea is extremely complex, because you have to take account of all kinds of variables, such as swimmers disappearing behind waves, or going under the water for a period of time, and so on, but we have developed a mathematical model that works.  

“Deep Blue is able to watch all of the swimmers all of the time and send alerts to wristwatches worn by lifeguards whenever it spots something unusual. We have also trained those lifeguards taking part in the trials to be able to read the computer screens so they can identify the problem and act accordingly.” 

Karl, who is also the COO of another tech start-up, said he and his two business partners beat two other companies to clinch the Dubai government trials. 

The father-of-two said he chose the Executive MBA for its subject content and the ability to forge new contacts. 

“I chose Bradford’s Executive MBA because of the subjects on offer. I already run my own companies but I have still learned new skills and my cohort is packed full of people at the top of their game who bring with them unique insights, so from a networking perspective, it has been very useful.” 

Interim Dean of the School of Management Professor Saeed Akbar accepted the award on Karl’s behalf, and said: “This is a tremendous achievement for Karl and we’re pleased he has found our Executive MBA to be so beneficial. Karl is a shining example to our students. We’re also pleased to be associated with the Association of MBAs and Business Graduates Association (AMBA & BGA) Awards. Our School of Management is one of the top 1% in the world to hold triple-accreditation, including from AMBA.” 

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