How artificial intelligence is helping students study seals

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Research Focus: Marine biologist Claire Stainfield is using drones to monitor and count grey seals at Newburgh beach in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
AI Tool: AI is significantly reducing the time to process drone footage—down from hours to mere seconds—allowing Stainfield to more efficiently assess seal population data.
Population Increase: Newburgh beach, designated as a protected seal haul-out site in 2017, now hosts over 3,000 seals at its peak usage, compared to only 10-20 from about 50 years ago.
Tourist Impact Study: Stainfield is studying how tourist numbers might be affecting the seal population, determining that minimal disturbance occurs if people stick to the south side of the beach.
Drone Use: Although recreational drones are prohibited, Stainfield has special clearance for her ecological research, using drones for GPS and behavioral tracking of the seals.
AI Involvement: Stainfield trained an AI model to identify seals in drone footage, allowing for fast, accurate counting and analysis which she couldn’t do manually due to the high volume of data.
Future Applications: She aims to extend the AI model’s use to other ecological sites and species.
Ethical Use: There are strict regulations against disturbing the seals, with recommendations for minimal human activity near the beach, especially during the winter breeding season.