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  • Tom Huynh

Google is saving orcas with AI, but here is what you can do


What’s happening?

With the power of artificial intelligence, Google is saving a subspecies of orcas from going extinct.

The Salish Sea, home to many aquatic animals, is facing a near extinction crisis with the Southern Resident Killer Whales. According to their company’s blog, Google had teamed up with Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) and Rainforest Connection to monitor and protect the remaining 73 Southern Resident Orcas, according to the figures from the Center of Whale Research.

How does the AI work?

Their new model AI is trained with up to 1,800 hours of underwater audio and up to 68,000 labels to identify the origin of the sound. With this data, the model uses it to analyze live sounds that DFO can monitor across 12 different locations within the orca’s habitat.

Their next step is a project in which they train the AI to distinguish between the three subpopulations of orcas: Southern Resident Killer Whales, Northern Resident Killer Whales and Bigg's Killer Whales.

What can you do?

Google is making an impact on saving these orcas lives, but you don’t need an AI to help make a difference. You can adopt an Orca today on the World Wildlife organization website. For almost 60 years, WWF is one of the world’s leading conservation organizations where they work in nearly 100 countries and is supported by more than 1 million members in the US.

On their website, they offer Orca Adoption Kit which can contain up to a plush, a photo, an adoption certificate, a species card and two gift bags, depending on how much you donate. The donation money will be used to any spending that is directed to worldwide conservation activities. So join today and help the killer whales by donating to their website!

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