This story about Merlin’s latest bird identification update is excellent.

[nuthatch@infosec.exchange]

This story about Merlin’s latest bird identification update is excellent. It’s nicely written, detailed but not too technical. An example of AI/ML helping a dedicated community understand the world.

“Since the most recent Photo ID model was built in 2019, over 45 million more photos have been uploaded to the Macaulay Library by eBirders. ‘We built this new model because we wanted to better support birders in identifying the birds they photographed, and because with so many new photos, we had an incredible opportunity to push the limits of what this type of model can do,’ says Heinrich. These 45 million new photos enabled engineers to better represent each species by including photos that captured spatial and temporal variation in bird plumage.”

Merlin's Photo ID has a new update - eBird

Merlin's Photo ID feature has a new update, boosting its accuracy and helping you identify bird photos with more confidence.

(ebird.org)

[nuthatch@infosec.exchange]

Collaboration, not theft. Nobody was tricked into teaching a secret model, no fortunes were made, no jobs lost.

[octothorpe@mastodon.online]

@nuthatch now hopefully the birb/borb distinction can be fully understood!