Petoskey Audubon September 8 Program – Birding in the Age of AI: How Artificial Intelligence Is Changing Birds, Birders, and Conservation

Petoskey Regional Audubon Society (PRAS) is hosting a free in-person program on Tuesday, September 8 featuring board member Darrell Lawson. Lawson will discuss AI and its impact on the world of birding and bird conservation for both good and ill.

It seems Artificial Intelligence is everywhere in our lives today whether we desire it or not. From web search results, to cameras, the news we read, and the operating systems on our computers, it is hard to escape. AI has impacted birding, an outdoor activity many might think is sheltered from its influence.

Researchers benefit as they use AI to process months of audio or thousands of camera images far faster than people could. Cornell’s Merlin Bird ID app helps people with instant bird identification, yet it is not always correct. AI photo-editing can produce entirely false images and if such media enter citizen-science databases, they can create fake sightings and weaken the datasets used for research and conservation. Lawson will discuss how AI has affected birding more deeply than its “unplugged” image suggests.

Lawson is an avid birder. He primarily birds near his home in northern Michigan but has also travelled to many states and a few countries to see birds. He is Vice President of PRAS and regularly leads field trips for the organization and other bird related organizations. He frequently presents bird-related topics. When not birding he enjoys reading, drawing, painting, and taking his cats for walks (on leashes, of course).

The program begins at 7pm and it is free and open to the public. It takes place in the conference room at Courtyard by Marriott Petoskey at Victories Square, 1866 Mkwa Place, Petoskey. Learn more at www.petoskeyaudubon.org