How will AI put an end to Animal Testing?

Today’s Motive:

• 🐭 Could AI put an end to animal testing? 

• 🔥 Summer is heating up. How is AI leading the way for wildfire detection.

• 🐳 Whales, always talking, but what are they saying? AI might have the insights. 

AI Advancements

🐭 Could AI end animal testing?

"Animals like mice, rats, rabbits, fishes, birds, guinea pigs, hamsters, and dogs are being used for the research work. They are used as a tool to understand the effect of new chemical compounds, medicines, and biologics such as vaccines, medical procedures, and surgical instruments."
National Library of Medicine.

How is AI being used to prevent testing on animals?

• Currently, AI is able to scan vast amounts of data in global animal testing results and put together decades of information with a click of a button. Thus, reducing redundant testing on animals.

• AI is being used to determine new chemical toxicity levels, creating opportunities never seen before, and the formation of new drugs without the use of animals.

• AnimalGAN is an AI project developed by the US Food and Drug Administration to accurately determine how rats will react to a given chemical.

• Researchers believe animal testing is an outdated scientific method. AI tools are being developed to streamline the testing of chemical compounds, but there is still much work to be done. Currently, the greatest step is the reduction of redundant testing.

  For more information, read BBC article written by Christine Ro, here.
  

AI Advancements

🔥 How is AI being used in wildfire detection and prevention?

Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing wildfire detection, offering faster and more accurate identification of fires to help mitigate their devastating impact. Here are some recent advancements:

• AI-Powered Satellite Imagery: Companies like Descartes Labs are leveraging AI to analyze satellite imagery for early signs of wildfires. Their systems can detect changes in vegetation and heat signatures, providing alerts before traditional methods can identify the threat.

• Drones and Machine Learning: Drones equipped with AI-powered cameras are being used to monitor forests and detect wildfires. These drones can cover large areas and use machine-learning algorithms to identify smoke and heat, allowing for quicker response times.

• Google's AI Efforts: Google has integrated AI into its mapping services to provide real-time data on wildfires. This tool helps track the spread of fires and informs evacuation efforts by providing timely and accurate information to users.

• Advanced Sensors and AI: Researchers are developing advanced sensors combined with AI to predict wildfire behavior. These sensors can monitor environmental conditions such as humidity, temperature, and wind speed, allowing AI models to forecast fire spread patterns.

AI Advancements

🐳 Did AI crack the code in whale communication?

AI is being used to decode communications among various common animal species, and recent advancements have uncovered previously unknown complexities between Sperm Whales.

• Researchers using AI have discovered a Sperm Whale phonetic alphabet.

• The project discovered intricacies in vocalizations never before heard akin to human language.

• Sperm whales communicate through rhythmic sequences of clicks, called codas. Previous observation led to 21 coda types. AI research led to the identification of 156 codas.

• Sperm whales travel in multi-level, matrilineal societies - groups of families - while males roam between groups. These whales are known for their sophisticated communication and complex social behavior.

Read the full article on BBC by katherine Latham and Anna Bressanin, here.