AI and digitization boost protection of at-risk plant species
AI and digitization are stepping up to protect our planet's plants.
According to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, 40% of assessed plant species are at risk of extinction, with hundreds of thousands more still unassessed or even undiscovered.
Kew digitizes 7.4 million specimens
AI models can sometimes now identify better than specialists at identifying tricky plant traits, making it faster to catalog and potentially save endangered species.
Kew has digitized 7.4 million specimens, including some collected by Darwin, so researchers worldwide can access them online.
Plus, AI is helping scientists spot climate change effects on plants and unlock genetic secrets from very old specimens, some up to 180 years old, for medicine and disease research.
There's a lot more work ahead, but tech is giving us a real shot at protecting Earth's green life.