Germany hopes AI can stop rare eagles flying into wind turbines
2022-09-20
The Guardian
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Germany is deploying AI-powered camera systems, developed by IdentiFlight, to detect endangered lesser spotted eagles near wind turbines and slow the blades to prevent fatal collisions. This initiative aims to mitigate harm to the rare species as wind farm expansion increases the risk of eagle deaths.[AI generated]
Why's our monitor labelling this an incident or hazard?
The article explicitly mentions the use of AI-powered cameras employing machine learning and convolutional neural networks to detect endangered eagles and prevent collisions with wind turbines. The AI system's deployment is directly related to reducing injury and death to protected bird species, which constitutes harm to the environment. Since the AI system is actively used to prevent harm and has been shown to reduce eagle fatalities by 82%, this qualifies as an AI Incident under the OECD definitions. The event is not merely a potential risk or a general update but involves the actual use of AI to address a harm scenario, thus fitting the AI Incident classification.[AI generated]