I'm a researcher working on a system for monitoring offshore kelp farms for renewable aquaculture with an autonomous underwater vehicle. I can't use GPS underwater, Dopper velocity logs and sensitive inertial navigation systems are either too expensive and/or export-controlled, and doing manual filtering of visual data is tricky and inconsistent. Adding good object detection for kelp to helps to make that kind of system much more reliable, which can help provide useful metrics to groups working on creating new biofuel sources and marine ecosystem monitoring. I think that's valuable work, and it's enabled by YOLO.

Joe Redmon has paid attention to where and how his work is being used, and I respect him for disengaging with something that he finds not to line up with his values. But it's worth pointing out that there are people (not just me) who are using that work in ways that might be worthwhile.