Opinion: Why AI is our best defense against invasive species

Every Californian has experienced the impact of invasive species Statewide entire forests are harmed by bark beetles and other invaders Oak borers are spreading and killing native oaks boring into healthy trees damaging them until they collapse Quagga mussels and golden mussels fingernail-sized invaders infesting California waterways clog the water pumps and pipes responsible for distributing water to millions of people and vast stretches of farmland Downy brome an invasive weed infiltrates grassland and increases wildfire jeopardy in the Great Basin region The destruction from invasive species is speedily creeping forward but luckily we have one critical tool in our arsenal artificial intelligence AI-assisted technologies are playing a crucial role in helping scientists detect and contain invasive species before they cause irreversible ecosystem damage Not only does this benefit California s natural ecological balance upon which local industries and economies depend it helps the broader American economic activity Invasive species cost the U S financial market an estimated billion between and disrupting ecosystems and threatening our food supply California with its international ports extensive agricultural output and diverse habitats is especially vulnerable Despite best efforts scientists are often left playing catch-up while invasive species spread The core complication is delayed awareness By the time an invasive organism is flagged by researchers the population is often already beyond containment requiring cross-jurisdictional coordination and substantial tools Traditional scientific methods to address these outbreaks field surveys lab diagnostics regulatory identification processes are rigorous but slow allowing invaders to destroy California s land and waterways This is where AI has changed the encounter for researchers AI is now an indispensable tool for increasing the speed and precision of reviewing vast complex figures sets and spotting patterns invisible to the human eye In the fight against invasive species this productivity boost is transformative saving scientific teams critical time in the lab and shortening the time required to successfully implement solutions Moreover early detection allows for a more targeted use of guidance lowering economic cost Imagine a drone flying over wetlands its onboard camera scanning for invasive plants The AI model directly flags suspect organisms for removal a process that otherwise would take months Another example is cutting-edge uses of environmental DNA where scientists test water samples for traces of invasive organisms Sifting through this genetic records once took weeks but with machine learning it now takes hours allowing near real-time detection of invasive pathogens before they spread to critical water infrastructure AI isn t just protecting the medical of our wetlands it is strengthening our safeguard by mitigating threats to masses soundness State-of-the-art AI and machine learning research methods are now used by scientists in our discovery and evolution platform to find natural product solutions to control invasive species These tools amplify the maximum of scientific teams dramatically increasing both speed and specificity of their research Scientists apply their expertise while AI provides the powerful computational threshold to hastily analyze vast datasets This time has already allowed teams to discover essential new solutions for control of burrowing shrimp in Washington State in less than one year providing proof of concept that ISC can fast find a cure to any invasive species The challenges posed by invasive species mirror the challenges in other time-sensitive fields like society healthcare state adaptation and sustainable agriculture AI is a tool accelerating discovery and action in each of these sectors revolutionizing the way we address systemic societal issues Enabling AI innovation in California and nationwide has incredible return on outlay for our natural information financial sector vitality and scientific leadership Pam Marrone is co-founder of the Invasive Species Corp in Davis and an expert in biological pest management