Research finds that AI could potentially be undeveloped to promote biodiversity conservation

A new study from researchers at McGill University suggests that using artificial intelligence (AI) to rapidly analyze huge quantities of biodiversity data, could revolutionize conservation efforts by making more familiar decisions for scientists and policymakers.

The review published in Nature Reviews’ Biodiversity is a collaboration with a team of computer scientists, ecologists and international researchers, which examines seven “world biodiversity knowledge lack”:

“The problem is that we don’t have basic information about nature yet, which prevents us from knowing how to protect it,” says Laura Pollock, the study’s lead author and assistant professor at McGill’s Department of Biology.

This study, which reviewed existing literature on this subject, identifies important ways in which AI can close these knowledge gaps. Researchers have found that AI is currently only used in two of the seven shortage areas, leaving important opportunities unexplored. AI-driven tools like Bioclip are already used to detect species characteristics in images, helping to identify species. Hundreds of new insects have been identified on automated insect surveillance platforms such as antennas.

However, machine learning models trained with satellite images and environmental DNA could map species distributions more accurately than ever before. AI can also help infer species interactions, such as food networks that are largely unstudied due to the difficulty of direct observation and the relationship between predators and upbringing.

“This study focuses on biodiversity questions that are much broader than in previous reviews,” says David Rolnick, Canada’s CIFAR AI Chair and research co-author, McGill’s assistant professor of computer science. “It was amazing to see how narrowly AI is applied when there is a very high chance of dealing with many of these shortages.”

Looking ahead, the research team will highlight the importance of expanding data sharing initiatives to improve AI model training, improving algorithms to reduce bias, ensuring that AI is used ethically in conservation. With global biodiversity targets looming, AI says it is one of the most powerful tools available to deal with the biodiversity crisis when used effectively.

“AI is changing the way the world works, for better or worse, and this is one of the ways that helps us,” Pollock said. “It is important that ecosystems preserve human life, so protecting biodiversity is important.”