Corroding metal is a significant issue for America’s infrastructure. Damaged metal can jeopardize a structure’s integrity, and rust can leak into pipes or surrounding ecosystems to pose health and environmental threats. Consequently, organizations must be able to detect it early on, and artificial intelligence (AI) is an ideal solution.

Several recent advances in AI technology have focused on its potential in corrosion detection. Here’s a closer look at how these innovations could reshape critical infrastructure in 2025 and beyond.

Improving Detection Accuracy

One of AI’s biggest advantages in this area is its accuracy. Just as machine vision can identify medical anomalies to streamline treatment, similar models can pinpoint corroding metal when it may not be obvious to humans.

Humans tend to miss subtle details, especially when stressed or distracted by high workloads and limited time. Machine learning cannot experience these feelings, so it’s often better at detecting small trends. It can also combine inputs from multiple sensors and readings to get a more detailed and reliable understanding of the surface it studies.

Some studies have found deep learning models can exceed human performance with enough data. Over time, these systems become increasingly accurate, too, as they encounter a wider range of situations. Consequently, this benefit will only grow in the future.

Detecting Corrosion Faster

In addition to being accurate, AI also makes decisions faster. Machine vision can confidently detect abnormalities as soon as it spots them. As a result, this analysis can lead to real-time corrosion detection, letting enterprises address the issue before it grows.

Of course, real-time detection requires continuous monitoring, which isn’t always applicable. Even outside of these situations, though, AI can still streamline the corrosion inspection process.

Teams can use camera-equipped drones to scan an area as the algorithm analyzes the footage. While the approach still requires scheduling an inspection, AI can detect rust or other damage as soon as the camera passes it. Drones can also cover a greater area in less time than walking to each structure in question. This efficiency is particularly valuable in sectors facing workforce shortages or significant project backlogs.

Estimating Corrosion Depth

Unlike manual inspections, AI can also determine how much rot has penetrated a surface. Modern cleaning tools are precise enough to clear surfaces of corrosion on components as small as 0.02 inches, but deeper rust may require replacement. Consequently, technicians must know how deep the damage goes, and automation can reveal that in minimal time.

Conventional methods to measure corrosion depth require expensive and difficult-to-use equipment. By contrast, AI can learn to pick up on visual signals of deeper metal loss. As a result, it can accurately estimate how rusted a metal structure is merely by analyzing its surface, which is far faster and less prone to human error.

Predicting Future Damage

Predictive analytics are another unique AI capability that can transform corrosion detection. As machine learning models encounter more instances of rust, they learn what early warning signs look like and how such deterioration progresses. They can use this insight to predict how a structure may hold up to the elements over time.

Teams can use predictive models in several ways. One option is to analyze existing rust spots to outline how they’ll progress, giving repair personnel an estimate of how much time they have to fix the corrosion before it causes larger problems. Alternatively, workers can predict how likely a metal area is to form rust to inform preventive care schedules.

Lowering Costs

Across all areas, AI technology can reduce operational costs. While this technology incurs higher upfront expenses, its efficiency and insight enable long-term savings.

Being able to scan more structures for corrosion in the same time frame greatly lowers inspection-related costs. Similarly, brands can automate parts of the review workflow to reduce labor expenses. AI’s increased accuracy further prevents unnecessary spending by minimizing the risk of errors and the time it takes to correct them.

Its ability to detect corrosion earlier and predict its future growth saves money, too. Such information means technicians can resolve maintenance issues while they’re still small, preventing larger, costlier breakdowns.

AI Takes Corrosion Detection to New Heights

Corrosion is a challenge in many sectors, from oil and gas to construction. Identifying it earlier and more accurately will result in substantial operational improvements. As these use cases show, AI provides such a path forward. Rising adoption of this technology will reshape heavy industries for the better.