Workshop title: How might foundational AI be applied to forecast ecosystem resilience?

Venue: Cambridge CCI (location TBD)

Date: 27th/28th November

In this workshop, conservation practitioners, technologists and researchers will imagine how we might use emerging ‘foundational AI’ techniques to improve nature conservation and work towards ecosystem integrity and resilience.

If you work in conservation, and your work includes biodiversity datasets, ecosystem integrity, effectiveness of interventions, or anything related to AI models, we’d love you to join us.

The workshop is fully funded by ARIA (Advanced Research + Invention Agency), including an evening working dinner. We’re asking for two days of your time, but if you can spare only one day that’s fine too. We’re looking for expressions of interest at this stage, aiming to get back to everyone by the 6th November. Depending on the level of interest, we may have to be selective, but we hope to accommodate everyone keen to be involved.

Taking part will give you the opportunity to:

- Help ARIA shape their new Engineering Ecosystem Resilience programme, for which funding calls are expected early next year. On ARIA's behalf, we're exploring the potential of foundational AI models to forecast ecosystem resilience. Is it possible to combine generative agent-based simulation (e.g. Genie 3 and Concordia) with earth-system models (e.g. AlphaEarth and Tessera) to forecast ecosystem resilience? If it is, how might we use such capability to guide real-world nature recovery?

- Identify ways in which advancements in foundational AI can help you improve conservation practice.

- Build connections with others in the conservation community, which we hope will lead to fruitful collaborations, whether through ARIA or not.

- Get involved in shaping a potential publication on foundational AI in ecology, emerging from our workshops.

If you'd like to attend this ARIA workshop, please complete the form below by the 3rd November. For any queries, please contact Dr Arman Pili (ap2571@cam.ac.uk).

On behalf of the “Foundational AI to forecast ecosystem resilience” organizing team: Prof. Lynn Dicks, Dr. Joe Millard, Dr. Katherine Berthon, Dr. Arman Pili, Prof. Rob Fletcher, Prof. Anil Madhavapeddy, Prof. Srinivasan Keshav, and Prof. David Coomes.