Latest news with #Google.orgAccelerator:GenerativeAI
Scientific American
4 days ago
- Science
- Scientific American
Why iNaturalist Users Freaked Out over a Google AI Grant
Can artificial intelligence help people learn about nature? And if so, is using this technology worth the environmental toll and other consequences? On June 10 the nonprofit organization iNaturalist, which runs a popular online platform for nature observers, announced in a blog post that it had received a $1.5-million grant from Accelerator: Generative AI —an initiative of Google's philanthropic arm—to 'help build tools to improve the identification experience for the iNaturalist community.' More than 3.7 million people around the world—from weekend naturalists to professional taxonomists—use the platform to record observations of wild organisms and get help with identifying the species. To date, the iNaturalist community has logged upward of 250 million observations of more than half a million species, with some 430,000 members working to identify species from photographs, audio and text uploaded to the database. The announcement did not go over well with iNaturalist users, who took to the comments section of the blog post and a related forum, as well as Bluesky, in droves to voice their concerns. How iNaturalist Works Users submit 'observations' of an individual organism they have encountered in the wild to the iNaturalist app on their phone or to the organization's website. Observations typically include one or more photographs of the organism and may include notes and audio. An AI-powered feature called 'computer vision' then suggests possible species identifications based on photographs. Users can choose one of these IDs to assign to their observation or use a broader category such as 'Plants' or 'Fungi' if they prefer. The app automatically records the date, time and location of the observation. Once the user saves the observation, it is shared to the community, and members can weigh in on the identification of the organism, building consensus as the discussion grows. Once the community has identified an organism to the species level, the observation is considered 'research grade,' meaning it can be shared with scientists who are carrying out a study of that species, for example. On supporting science journalism If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today. What the Google Grant Money Will Be Used For In its blog post announcing the grant, iNaturalist noted, 'By using generative AI (GenAI), we hope to synthesize information about how to distinguish different species and accurately convey that to iNaturalist users. Instead of just offering AI species suggestions of what you saw, we want to offer a why as well.' In the post, the organization said that it intends to develop a prototype of a tool to extend its computer vision identification capability to provide explanations of why this function suggests particular species and how to tell similar-looking species apart. Although iNaturalist did not provide details about how the GenAI tool would work, the post implied that it would synthesize existing information about identification from text comments that were provided by members of the community to generate identification tips. In the post, iNaturalist said it was aiming to produce a working demonstration of this new tool by the end of 2025. Why the iNaturalist Community Is Upset The grant announcement met with backlash from community members. Many critics objected to the use of GenAI on environmental grounds— the technology uses vast amounts of energy and water, creates e-waste and drives demand for rare-earth metals, the mining of which contributes to habitat degradation. Detractors also worried that such a tool based on GenAI, which is notorious for 'hallucinating,' would produce misinformation about species identifications. Others expressed concern about the possibility that their iNaturalist data could be used to devalue the work of professional taxonomists if the AI identification were presented as authoritative. Some said they would delete their accounts. In response to the outcry from its users, iNaturalist has since made some clarifications: it has apologized for poor communication about the development and has offered assurances that it does not intend to replace the human-curated system of species identifications and that it will not give Google special access to user-contributed data. In a June 11 update to the blog post that announced the grant award, the organization wrote, 'If the demo we create is not helpful, compromises data quality, has outsized environmental impacts, or is overall too flawed, we will not keep it.' And in a forum post, iNaturalist's executive director Scott Loarie wrote, 'There's no way we're going to unleash AI generated slop onto the site. iNaturalist is about human connection and expertise and using technology to help elevate and support that.' But the follow-ups didn't satisfy some community members, who noted that iNaturalist's messaging did not make clear whether it was still intending to use GenAI or, if so, how it would do so.
Business Wire
09-06-2025
- Health
- Business Wire
Phare Bio Selected to Participate in the
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Phare Bio, a biotech social venture using AI to combat the global antibiotic resistance crisis, has been selected to participate in the Accelerator: Generative AI – to advance its groundbreaking work in antibiotic research and development. Along with a share of $30 million in funding, Phare Bio will receive 6 months of pro bono technical expertise to support the continued buildout of Phare Bio's AI-powered, open-access drug discovery platform – a resource designed to galvanize global researchers and reinvigorate antibiotic innovation at a time of mounting public health urgency. Phare Bio's platform, built in partnership with the Collins Lab at MIT, harnesses the power of generative AI to design entirely new classes of antibiotics. The platform integrates advanced machine learning models with biological screening to rapidly identify and optimize drug candidates with high precision and reduced toxicity. This work aims to address antibiotic resistance, a silent pandemic expected to claim nearly 40 million lives worldwide by 2050. 'This support from helps ensure that the tools we're building don't just stay in the lab – they empower researchers, developers, and communities around the world to accelerate their own antibiotic discoveries,' said Dr. Akhila Kosaraju, CEO and President of Phare Bio. 'This investment in open-access infrastructure reflects a shared commitment to science as a global public good.' This support builds off the extraordinary momentum and support from ARPA-H and the Audacious Project, underscoring Phare Bio's growing impact and potential. These resources are helping expand the platform's generative AI capabilities, enabling researchers to virtually design customized antibiotic candidates with properties tailored to real-world clinical needs – a radical shift in drug discovery. Karla Palmer, Manager, AI & Scientific Progress, at added: 'We were inspired by Phare Bio's vision to not only reinvent antibiotic discovery through AI but to make those tools available to the broader scientific community. Their platform has the potential to catalyze a new era of global collaboration and accelerate progress against one of the world's most urgent health threats.' With a goal to develop 15 preclinical antibiotics by 2030, Phare Bio is setting a new gold standard for mission-aligned biotech innovation. About Phare Bio Phare Bio is a social venture using artificial intelligence (AI) to develop novel classes of antibiotics in partnership with Jim Collins' lab at MIT. Founded in 2020 to address the growing crisis of antibiotic resistance, Phare Bio is a recipient of the Audacious Project, a collaborative funding initiative between TED and leading nonprofits to support bold solutions to global challenges. The company combines cutting-edge machine learning with world-class science to accelerate the discovery of urgently needed antibiotics. To learn more, visit or email info@
