Author: <\/p>\n
A couple of years ago, Google AI for Social Good\u2019s<\/a> Bioacoustics team created a ML model<\/a> that helps the scientific community detect the presence of humpback whale sounds using acoustic recordings. This tool<\/a>, developed in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association<\/a>, helps biologists study whale behaviors, patterns, population and potential human interactions.\u00a0<\/p>\n We realized other researchers could use this model for their work, too \u2014 it could help them better understand the oceans and protect key biodiversity areas. We wanted to freely share this model, but\u00a0 struggled with a big dilemma: On one hand, it could help ocean scientists. On the other, though, we worried about whale poachers or other bad actors. What if they used our shared knowledge in a way we didn\u2019t intend?\u00a0<\/p>\n We decided to consult with experts in the field in order to help us responsibly open source this machine learning model. We worked with Google’s Responsible Innovation team to use our AI Principles<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 a\u00a0guide to responsibly developing technology \u2014 to make a decision.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The team gave us the guidance we needed to open source a machine learning model that could be socially beneficial and was built and tested for safety, while also upholding high standards of scientific excellence for the marine biologists and researchers worldwide.\u00a0<\/p>\n On Earth Day \u2014 and every day \u2014 putting the AI Principles into practice is important to the communities we serve, on land and in the sea.\u00a0<\/p>\n Curious about diving deeper? You can use AI to explore thousands of hours of humpback whale songs and make your own discoveries with our\u00a0Pattern Radio<\/a>\u00a0and see\u00a0our collaboration<\/a>\u00a0with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association of the United States as well as\u00a0our work with Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO)<\/a>\u00a0to apply machine learning to protect killer whales in the Salish Sea.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n