As biodiversity loss accelerates worldwide, Google has announced a new initiative using artificial intelligence to help preserve endangered species — an effort that could benefit biodiversity hotspots such as the Philippines.
Through a partnership with the Vertebrate Genomes Project (VGP), Google is providing AI-powered tools and funding to speed up and improve the sequencing of animal genomes, creating what scientists describe as a “biological instruction manual” for conservation.
Up to one million species globally are at risk of extinction, according to scientists. To help address this, Google is deploying AI technologies such as DeepPolisher, DeepVariant and DeepConsensus to make genomic sequencing faster, more accurate and significantly cheaper. These tools help correct errors in DNA data, allowing researchers to design better breeding, protection and recovery programs.
The initiative has already successfully sequenced the genomes of 13 endangered species, several of which are native to Southeast Asia. These include the critically endangered elongated tortoise, the hog deer — whose population and genetic diversity have sharply declined — and Eld’s deer, an endangered species requiring intensive conservation efforts to survive.
Google.org has also awarded funding through its AI for Science program to The Rockefeller University to expand the project to 150 additional species. The expansion increases the likelihood that species found in the Philippines may eventually be included.
“Understanding a species’ genome could be the key to their conservation,” wrote Lizzie Dorfman, group product manager, and Andrew Carroll, product lead for genomics at Google. “By sequencing these animals’ genomes — scientists are able to support efforts to preserve genetic diversity and prevent further loss of species.”
All genomic data generated by the project will be made freely available to the global scientific community. For countries like the Philippines — home to highly threatened endemic species such as the Visayan spotted deer — open access to advanced genomic data and tools could support local conservation research and planning.
Sequencing the first human genome took 13 years and cost about $3 billion. Today, Google said, the same process can be completed in days at a fraction of the cost due to advances in AI.