AI can stop a machine when a person enters a danger zone by linking a camera, a person-detection model and a control output. A virtual zone is drawn around the machine in the camera's view. The model checks each frame for people, and when one enters the zone, a relay or controller signal tells the machine to slow or stop and triggers a warning light or sound. Processing usually runs on a device at the edge, so it does not depend on a network link. Many AI vision products are assistive rather than safety-rated, so they add to required guarding instead of replacing it.
That distinction decides how a system can be used. OSHA 1910.212 requires machine guarding to protect operators and others from point-of-operation and other machine hazards, and safety functions that stop machinery are normally designed to recognized functional safety standards such as ISO 13849-1. Ask whether a product carries a safety rating, what its response time is, and what happens if the camera is blocked, dirty or offline.
For forklifts, the same principle drives zone-based slowdown on compatible trucks; see Zone-based proximity warning systems. Where fixed guarding is impractical, the alternative is a safety-rated presence-sensing device designed to such a standard; a non-rated AI zone is an added warning layer, not a substitute. Keep lockout/tagout for servicing.