‘Intelligence that will win this war’: Investigating Artificial Intelligence for Conservation

Artificial Intelligence is a novel technology being utilized to combat wildlife poaching in Africa. Poaching in Africa is not only part of a highly illegal and lucrative industry, but it correspondingly is effecting the ecosystems in depleting and causing the endangerment of many species, including Rhino, Elephant, Pangolins and Wild Dog. A range of strategies are utilized to combat poaching, however, the prevalence of poaching is still apparent. Therefore, the research will address to what extent can/does AI mitigate the wildlife poaching problems in Africa. More specifically, the research investigates the various beliefs about poaching the biggest challenges and existing strategies in countering poaching and the current initiatives and devices utilized. Research communicating the priorities, engaging stakeholders and sharing best practice, in accordance to these various artificial intelligence technologies available is limited. This study utilizes a mixed method approach including the qualitative analysis of interviews of key stakeholders in the field of conservation including those in the field, NGOs and technology experts, as well as news articles considering the potential of artificial intelligence technology in conservation. The main findings of this study include, that neoliberalist conservation ideologies still hold merit, there needs to be a reexamining of what constitutes as ‘information networks’ and the question of funding and management determines how successful artificial intelligence is utilized when embedded into conservation areas.