Scientists are using artificial intelligence to listen in on some of the world's most remote places to track and protect endangered animals. For example, biologist Jenna Lawson put 350 audio monitors in trees in Costa Rica's Osa Peninsula to listen to the hard-to-find Geoffrey's spider monkeys. These devices recorded the sounds of the forest and sent the data to AI systems that could quickly identify the monkeys' calls and where they went. The study showed that the wildlife areas were not as healthy as people thought.
About 28% of all plants and animals are in danger of disappearing, so more researchers are saying that AI can help save them. Microsoft's AI for Good Lab recently announced a new kind of device that can listen to faraway places. These devices are powered by the sun and can work for a long time without people needing to fix them. They can also send data to the internet using satellites. The first test will be in a jungle in Colombia to see how deforestation affects animals like jaguars and spider monkeys.
There are still some problems to solve, like how humidity can damage the devices or how big animals might knock them down. But using audio monitors helps scientists study more area without bothering the animals. This way, they can learn more about how the animals behave without people being around.