Hi everyone!

We are excited to share that Anna Vallery (@annavallery, conservation biologist and coastal avian ecologist), Josh Seltzer (@jyseltz, independent researcher, and founder of AI company) and Viktor Domazetoski (@ViktorDo, PhD student researching responsible AI for Conservation) will be co-leading the AI for Conservation group at WILDLABS (https://wildlabs.net/groups/ai-conservation) over the next 12 months! 

As one of the largest communities at the intersection of artificial intelligence and conservation, our goal is to foster collaboration, bridge the disciplines and spark new ideas and research directions. With these goals in mind, we plan to:

• Kick off discussions on a wide range of AI for conservation topics

• Share accessible learning resources for both ecological and AI backgrounds

• Host regular virtual networking events to connect people across the community

• Organize speaker series featuring experts who can share their research and perspectives on the field

• Establish a community science component where members can collaborate on topics related to AI for conservation

Most importantly, we want to shape this space and our work around your needs and interests! To help us do that, we’ve created a poll that aims to act as a community census, so we can better understand where you’re coming from, what excites you and what kind of activities would be most useful.

•  https://forms.gle/cxXPoF9YhUVyiqYa8 (deadline 5th October):

We’d love to hear your thoughts! Please fill out the poll at your convenience, share ideas in the thread, or reach out to any of us. We’re looking forward to working together to not only grow this community, but more importantly, make it more connected and valuable for everyone.