PREDATOR FREE 2050
Using AI to monitor and protect marine mammals
Introduced predators threaten many native animals around the world. Finding ways to identify these introduced threats is vital to protect these endangered populations and help them thrive again.
NAI is developing a way to use artificial intelligence to help conservationists identify predators cheaply and effectively.
The challenge
Identifying predators is necessary for working out strategies to defend against them. When protecting biodiversity, it is also essential to ensure that local predators remain in a state that correctly balances the ecosystem.
But many areas under threat are large and remote. Getting accurate predator information can be difficult.
Our solution
NAI is working with a large government conservation organisation to improve its use of infra-red cameras to detect predators.
We’re taking over 150,000 images captured by these cameras and state-of-the-art computer vision to teach a computer to sort those images and find the predators. We were able to reduce false trigger images by 80% but still maintain almost 100% predator detection. The AI was even able to tell between different types of predators from the pictures.
AI in action
The predator detection technology is being used to protect the native species on the remote subantarctic islands of New Zealand. In the future, conservationists could use the same technology to monitor and defend other difficult to access ecosystems all over the planet.
