Are you stuck on an AI or ML challenge in your conservation work? Our virtual WILDLABS Office Hours offers you the chance to connect with an AI expert to talk through your work and get tailored advice on taking your project to the next level. 

We're once again teaming up with Dan Morris from Google's AI for Nature and Society program to run AI for Conservation Office Hours, where we bring together conservationists and data scientists from Google and beyond to help solve your AI problems.

Applications for AI for Conservation Office Hours are open to any conservationist who could put this expert advice to good use, no matter what stage you’re at with AI. If you think this opportunity could be productive for you and your project, apply now!

What is AI for Conservation Office Hours?

Sometimes, when you're stuck on a challenge, there's nothing more helpful than sitting down with someone and kicking around ideas to try, potential resources to explore, and pitfalls to avoid. One conversation can save you hours of searching forums and information rabbit holes. Better yet, it could save you from heading down a dead-end path with tools or processes that don't fit your work's goals.

AI for Conservation Office Hours aims to find and help people who would be relieved to meet some friendly experts to discuss their project's plans and brainstorm ways to get past a current challenge. If accepted, you'll leave your session with new ideas to try or reassurance that you're already on the right path. Plus, we'll make sure you're connected to our larger community of conservation tech experts from all around the world, so that next time you hit a roadblock, you'll be able to get the help you need right when you need it.

In 2021 and 2023, we worked with Dan Morris and other AI experts to connect conservationists thinking about using AI and those already using AI to discuss the possibilities and best options with a specialist.

We offer support for a wide range of AI applications in conservation, including bioacoustics, camera traps, geospatial technologies, drones, and much more. Examples from previous years include: 

• Helping improve the accuracy rate of thermal-triggered photographs of elephants in the Nilgiris reserve in southern India.
• Answering questions on how to automate species classification of bioacoustic and camera trap data in various marine, coastal, and terrestrial ecosystems.
• Advising on the trade-off between image resolution against the number of transmitted images when bandwidth is constrained, best practices for minimising AI false positives, and leveraging publicly available training data from similar species and ecosystems when data is scarce for the target species and locations.
• Supporting the creation of a model to help automate the mapping of mangrove forest restoration efforts.

All our Office Hours sessions provide a uniquely direct, hands-on approach that delivers clarity, direction, and reassurance for individual conservation projects. Whatever your specific AI conservation problem, we encourage you to submit an application and we will endeavour to support your work.

Application and process

Apply to join our 2025 AI for Conservation Office Hours by completing this sign-up form by Monday 9 December 2024.

We will shortlist between 10 and 20 applicants to participate in these direct calls, provide support to other applicants via email, and invite anyone else to a group Q&A session. 

Timeline

After we review the submissions, we will email all shortlisted applicants for the 1:1 sessions in January to organise your call. Based on the information you provide, Dan will work to match you up with the data scientists best equipped to help with your AI or ML conservation challenges. Your 1:1 virtual call will then be set up with the AI experts and data scientists to discuss your specific problem. We anticipate holding these individual sessions in January and February, depending on application volume and AI expert availability (time zones can be flexible). 

Please ensure your application contains as much information about your problem as possible. We encourage you to add as much context and detail as you can so we can assess your problem and connect you with the right experts.

Leading up to your 1:1 session, we will provide details of what you will need to prepare to ensure your issue is effectively communicated to the specialist. One of the first things they will ask for when talking about AI problems is sample data that conveys the gist of the problem, so please be ready with some sample data to share!

The deadline for applications is Monday 9 December 2024.

Questions

If you have any questions about any aspect of this opportunity or your project's eligibility, leave a comment on our Q&A thread or email me directly at [email protected].

Apply now!

Header image: Iguanas from Above