(Montreal) A Montreal-based company that uses artificial intelligence to track marine mammals like whales, seals and polar bears has been named by the United Nations International Artificial Intelligence Research Center UNESCO (IRCAI) as one of the world’s top 10 AI projects for sustainable development.
The Whale Seeker company has created an artificial intelligence tool called Möbius, which analyzes aerial images and very quickly detects marine mammals, which can enable the maritime industry to avoid collisions with cetaceans or even assess more accurately whether or not certain fishing areas need to be closed.
On April 21, the United Nations UNESCO International Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (IRCAI) announced to Whale Seeker that its technology had been selected in the list of the 10 best intelligence projects. artificial intelligence in the world when it comes to sustainable development, in particular to help the United Nations achieve its 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
“After completing the evaluation, we are pleased to inform you that your proposal has passed this phase and has been assessed as outstanding by our evaluators and has therefore been chosen to be part of the top 10 projects on the list. We would now like to begin working with you on the preparation of your public outreach activities,” IRCAI Director John Shawe Taylor said in a letter to Whale Seeker.
“Our team is dedicated to developing and using technology for the common good and we are thrilled to see our efforts recognized on the world stage. This award is a testament to our high ethical standards and our commitment to using AI to support sustainability efforts and the fight against climate change,” wrote Whale Seeker Founder Emily Charry. Tissier, in a press release.
According to a study recently published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science, Möbius can detect marine mammals 25 times faster than the human eye.
The results of the study show that the software managed to analyze 5,500 images in 53 hours, while researchers performed the same work, with the naked eye, in 1,300 hours.