logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2025
9m 17s

These AI devices protect nature in real ...

TED
About this episode

If we can put astronauts on the moon, conservationists shouldn't have to hike miles through dense forests to change the batteries on cameras, says Juan M. Lavista Ferres, chief data scientist at the AI for Good Lab. He introduces SPARROW, an open-source, solar-powered AI system that can analyze sounds and images to turn years of biodiversity monitoring into real-time insights, giving conservationists the tools they need to protect wildlife and critical ecosystems before it’s too late.



Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Today
Why AI is an even bigger deal than you think | Reed Hastings
Netflix cofounder and Anthropic board member Reed Hastings joins TED's Sal Khan to give a look inside the race to build AI. Hear his take on how the technology could accelerate education — including the possibility of an AI tutor for every student — and reshape the economy faster ... Show More
19m 8s
Yesterday
Sunday Pick: Why you should try improv comedy (w/ Rick Andrews) | How to Be a Better Human
What do radio personality Ira Glass, New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani, and your host Chris Duffy have in common? They all have practiced an unexpected skill that makes them more human—improv comedy. And they learned it from master improv teacher Rick Andrews. Rick joins Chris t ... Show More
41m 1s
Jul 18
The Mystery of Sea Creatures (1/5): A coral reef love story | Ayana Elizabeth Johnson
Over the course of hundreds of scuba dives, marine biologist Ayana Elizabeth Johnson fell in love -- with a fish. In this ode to parrotfish, she shares five reasons why these creatures are simply amazing (from their ability to poop white sand to make colorful "wardrobe changes") ... Show More
8m 53s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2025
These AI devices protect nature in real time | Juan M. Lavista Ferres
If we can put astronauts on the moon, conservationists shouldn't have to hike miles through dense forests to change the batteries on cameras, says Juan M. Lavista Ferres, chief data scientist at the AI for Good Lab. He introduces SPARROW, an open-source, solar-powered AI system t ... Show More
9m 17s
Jul 2023
Can AI Benefit Wildlife? Conservation Technology Says Yes!
Calling all tech lovers! Amazing Wildlife is joined by the head of San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance's Conservation Technology Lab, scientist Ian Ingram. He shares with Rick and Marco how the latest technology is being used to help wildlife, and how we hope to implement it in the A ... Show More
29m 49s
Apr 2025
Tech Reboot for Wildlife Conservation Projects
<p>With wildlife populations plummeting, conservation teams are fighting back, using cutting-edge technology to track and protect the world’s flora and fauna. We discuss this with:  </p><p>Shannon Dubay, director of conservation technology, Panthera, Cape Town, South Africa: Duba ... Show More
26m 19s
Mar 2023
Can AI and Machine Learning Help Park Rangers Prevent Poaching?
The Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART) was created by a coalition of conservation organizations to take historical data and create geospatial mapping tools that enable more efficient deployment of park rangers to prevent poaching. SMART had demonstrated significant imp ... Show More
21m 50s
Mar 2022
How Rewilding Works
A big new push toward nature conservation (and saving the planet) is based on a simple premise: remove humans from the equation and let nature take its own course.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 
46 m
Jul 2024
Protecting wildlife from human activity
From the way we catch food, to how we generate energy, human activity inevitably impacts on wildlife and the environment in unintended ways. So this week we’re looking at ways to reduce this collateral damage. We visit a windfarm in Finland that's using AI to predict bird flight ... Show More
22m 59s
Dec 2024
The New Conservationists: AI is Making Meaning from the Sounds and Visuals of Wildlife (Part 2)
Ashleigh Papp, an animal scientist turned storyteller, takes us on into the field. Conservationists and animal behaviorists were once restricted to wildlife data gathered manually. Now new technologies are expanding the amount of passively collected data—and machine learning is h ... Show More
17m 55s
Dec 2024
The New Conservationists: AI is Making Meaning from the Sounds and Visuals of Wildlife (Part 2)
Ashleigh Papp, an animal scientist turned storyteller, takes us on into the field. Conservationists and animal behaviorists were once restricted to wildlife data gathered manually. Now new technologies are expanding the amount of passively collected data—and machine learning is h ... Show More
17m 55s
Jul 2024
Digital Dr. Dolittle: decoding animal conversations with artificial intelligence (reprise)
Artificial Intelligence is making the stuff of science fiction a science reality, changing how humans interact with the world. It could also change the way we interact with wildlife, giving us the ability to talk to animals...but are we ready? On this episode Chris talks to Aza R ... Show More
50m 2s