Researchers use AI to outsmart air polluters in India

India’s air pollution crisis is hitting rural communities as hard as major cities — a reality that scientists are uncovering with new high‑precision monitoring tools. Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur are using a mobile surveillance van and more than 1400 low‑cost sensors across Uttar Pradesh and Bihar to track dangerous fine particulate matter. Their data, analyzed with AI, helps authorities identify pollution hotspots and plan long‑term interventions. With rising numbers of asthma, pneumonia and cancer cases linked to polluted air, expanding this monitoring network is becoming critical for protecting public health.