Conservation

Intel.com: Artificial Intelligence for Animal Lovers

December 7, 2016

From replacement lab rats to a lovable watch dog, Artificial Intelligence is helping to protect the animal kingdom.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is much more than the thinking, feeling robots often portrayed in pop culture.

“Artificial intelligence is basically trying to have machines make sense, learn, and interface with the external world, without requiring programming by human beings,” said Nidhi Chappell, Director of Machine Learning at Intel, and the applications for the tech are seemingly endless.

Elsevire: Putting Artificial Intelligence On The Hunt For Poachers

July 1, 2016

A park ranger treads carefully through the trees, stopping to listen for signs of the poacher he’s tailing. Killed for skins, medicine and trophy hunting, the worldwide population of tigers has been reduced to near-extinction at about 3,200. The scale of destruction is increasing, and it will take a three-pronged approach to battle the corruption and financial incentives 

driving the illegal trade: tackling the source, transmission and demand for wild animal products.
Supply could be dealt with by park rangers catching the poachers before they attack, but finding a...

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LA Times: More than boots and bullets: This app could help turn the tide on poaching

June 8, 2016

The newest weapon in the fight against wildlife poaching and illegal logging doesn’t rely solely on boots or bullets, but on a computer software application driven by artificial intelligence.

Called Protection Assistant for Wildlife Security, or PAWS, the app uses algorithms – similar to the mathematical models used to power computer games – to devise strategies for defeating those who seek to destroy nature.