Harper Adams University birdsong project expands in county
"The artificial intelligence classifies what it's heard, and picks out specific birdsong... it's able to recognise what species of bird that is."Data scientists at Harper Adams will take over and analyse trends - what sort of migratory birds are coming to Shropshire over time, what sort of local species persist."The AI system was trained by real scientists, using millions of bird soundscapes.The Shropshire Ornithological Society will host one of the sensors at its Venus Pool reserve near Shrewsbury."Ornithological surveys are vital for tracking changes in bird populations, which are often early indicators of broader environmental shifts," said Claire Mulvey, from the society. "The Green Box Project not only enhances our ability to monitor these changes but also fosters community engagement in conservation efforts."The boxes will record over the next couple of months, with the university releasing initial data at the end of September."We have set up pretty much a fleet of them… they will be continuously recording birdsong every single day," said Dr Mhango.
Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
2 minutes ago
- The Guardian
News Corp warns Trump AI is eviscerating sales of The Art of the Deal
News Corp is warning Donald Trump that AI is cannibalizing sales of his books, including The Art of the Deal. The company, owned by billionaire Rupert Murdoch, owns dozens of newspapers and TV channels around the world including the Wall Street Journal, the Times (in the UK), the Australian and the New York Post. News Corp also owns book publisher HarperCollins, which has published three of Trump's books, though his best-known title, The Art of the Deal, was published by Random House. Still, the company appeared keen to warn Trump about the impact AI is having on publishing. 'The AI age must cherish the value of intellectual property if we are collectively to realize our potential,' News Corp said in a statement with its fourth-quarter earnings report. 'Even the president of the United States is not immune to blatant theft. The president's books are still reporting healthy sales, but are being consumed by AI engines which profit from his thoughts by cannibalizing his concepts, thus undermining future sales of his books. 'Suddenly, The Art of the Deal has become The Art of the Steal.' Media outlets have sued AI companies, including OpenAI, operator of ChatGPT, for using their content to train AI models without permission. In May, a federal judge rejected OpenAI's request to dismiss a lawsuit from the New York Times over its usage of the newspaper's content. Dow Jones, which publishes the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Post sued Perplexity AI in October over similar copyright claims. News Corp's message to Trump also comes after the White House last month announced Trump's 'AI action plan' that would see the loosening of AI regulations that had been put in place under the Biden administration. In an earnings call Tuesday, News Corp CEO Robert Thomson said that the company is in the middle of 'advanced negotiations with several AI companies'. 'It's clear that many of them have come to recognize that the purchase of [intellectual property] is as important as the acquisition of semiconductors or the securing of stable energy sources,' he said, noting that it's a mix of 'wooing and suing'. 'We prefer the former, but we will never shy away from protecting our property rights,' he said. The warning comes at a tense moment between News Corp and the White House. Trump sued the Wall Street Journal after the newspaper published a report that the president had once sent Jeffrey Epstein an intimate birthday message that included a sexually suggestive drawing of a woman. Trump claimed that the report was false and amounted to libel. The newspaper has requested a judge dismiss the case. Murdoch, who also owns Fox News, was once friendly with Trump, though relations soured during the president's third presidential campaign. The company beat fourth-quarter expectations with Tuesday's earnings announcement, largely due to a rise in digital subscriptions from Dow Jones, which houses the company's business publications like the Wall Street Journal, Barron's and MarketWatch. On Monday, News Corp announced it will launch a sister tabloid to the New York Post in California, called the California Post, in early 2026.
The Independent
31 minutes ago
- The Independent
Ministers urged to tackle surge in dangerous Asian hornets after rise in sightings
This year could be the worst ever for Asian hornets in the UK, scientists are warning, after a rise in sightings of the invasive insect. The National Bee Unit says there were 73 credible sightings up to the end of last month – more than double the 28 recorded in the same period last year. Experts from the unit have also found 28 nests so far this year. One nest can house up to 3,000 of the insects. Asian hornets, also known as yellow-legged hornets, can badly harm native pollinator insects, including honeybees, threatening food security and ecosystems, ecologists say. The species was sighted in record numbers in the UK in 2023, and last September UK experts saw evidence for the first time of the queens over-wintering. In May this year, their numbers were described as unprecedented. The Liberal Democrats have accused the government of not taking the issue seriously enough and are calling for a task force to deal with the problem. Martin Wrigley, MP for Newton Abbot in Devon, told The Telegraph: 'The previous Conservative government was asleep at the wheel in their response to Asian hornets so the government has got to wake up to the risks and get a grip on this invasive species now – especially ahead of August and September, when new females are born. 'We urgently need a fully fleshed task force dedicated to this invasive insect to reduce delays between reporting nests and their destruction. It's time this government took our biodiversity and the safety of our communities seriously.' The species, which spread from Asia to Europe in a pottery consignment sent to France in 2004, was first spotted in Britain in 2016, and numbers have been rising since. The UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) has warned that without early detection and a rapid response, the species could gain a foothold in the UK. Sightings usually peak from September, and people are urged to report any sightings on the Asian Hornet Watch app. Ian Campbell, of the British Beekeepers Association, said that this year appeared to be a 'surge year' for yellow-legged hornets, in part because of the weather. 'There is significant worry that this year is going to be ahead of 2023, which is the worst year we've had so far,' he said. He called for authorities to try to eradicate the species before it became fully established. The invasive species is mostly found in Kent and East Sussex but has also been seen in Surrey, Hampshire and London, and even as far as Co Durham. It's thought they come into the country on vehicles. Ecologists say that except for parts of Scotland, all of Britain has a suitable climate for yellow-legged hornets. Asian hornets also have a dark abdomen with a band of yellow, while native hornets' abdomens are predominantly yellow. A spokesman for the Animal and Plant Health Agency told The Telegraph: 'Our highly skilled staff work 24/7 to tackle the threat of invasive non-native species, which cost the economy nearly £2bn a year. 'The yellow-legged hornet response, as with other outbreaks, is managed through a roster of trained nest destructors and inspectors that is scaled up as required based on reports and seasonal fluctuations.' They said it was not unexpected to see more reports of sightings as public awareness of the insects increased. A spokesman for Defra said the government would 'never waver in its duty to protect the UK's biosecurity' and pointed to its establishment of a new £200m biosecurity centre and an additional £10m for new surveillance projects.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Lib Dems call for urgent regulation of YouTube ads after wave of scams
The Liberal Democrats are calling for urgent regulation of YouTube advertising after scams including deepfakes, impersonated public figures and fraudulent investment claims were found to be spreading on the platform with little oversight. The party said YouTube's adverts remain largely unchecked by independent regulators, despite new data from Ofcom showing the platform has overtaken ITV in weekly UK viewership and continues to dominate children's media consumption. Among the recent scams onYouTube was a series of ads using an AI-generated voice and likeness of the consumer champion Martin Lewis to promote a cryptocurrency scheme, despite Lewis having no involvement. The videos, which have drawn thousands of complaints on Reddit and X, mislead users into thinking they are receiving financial advice from a trusted source. Other viewers have reported false product claims, scam diet pills and fake competitions. In one Reddit thread users reported being targeted with ads impersonating UK media figures or pretending to offer government-backed grants, with little clarity over how to report or block such content. YouTube adverts fall under the same Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) rules as TV, but unlike broadcasters, there is no pre-approval, real-time scrutiny or independent enforcement unless someone complains. The ASA has previously warned of a rise in 'celebrity deepfake' and 'impersonation' scams on online platforms, particularly for financial services. The lack of mandatory pre-approval or independent enforcement means that many of these adverts remain online for days before action is taken, if any is. Max Wilkinson, the Liberal Democrats' spokesperson for culture, media and sport, said the system leaves the public exposed. 'We cannot allow a two-tier system where traditional broadcasters face robust scrutiny, while a digital giant like YouTube is allowed to mark its own homework,' he said. The party is calling for YouTube advertising to be brought into line with the system used for TV and radio, including tougher oversight, clearer accountability, and the power for Ofcom to levy fines on platforms that repeatedly allow harmful or misleading ads. It also wants revenues from those fines used to support victims of online scams. YouTube ads are served through Google Ads and are regulated under a voluntary framework created by the tech industry. This contrasts with the ASA's co-regulatory model for broadcast advertising, where Ofcom retains backstop powers and many adverts must be pre-cleared before airing. Privately, some Labour MPs acknowledge that online ad regulation is 'behind the curve', but there is little appetite for major change. Others have warned that new restrictions could make it harder to target voters aged under 35, many of whom are disengaged from traditional media. Last month the Guardian revealed that Ofcom is preparing to push for new legal powers to require platforms like YouTube to give greater prominence to public service content, amid concerns that trusted news, children's programming and UK-produced shows are becoming 'invisible' to younger viewers. The Lib Dems argue that the same logic should apply to advertising, especially given the rise in misleading financial content and impersonation scams. 'YouTube is no longer a niche platform – it's one of the main ways people of all ages consume news, entertainment and information,' said Wilkinson. 'The government needs to act now to ensure that consumers are properly protected.' A YouTube spokesperson said: 'YouTube is not a broadcaster and it should not be regulated like one. 'We have strict policies that govern the ads on our platform which we enforce rigorously. When we find ads that breach our policies we take immediate action, including removing the ads and suspending the account when necessary.'
