Could AI do a better job of conservation than humans have?

What would the world be like if ecosystems like the Great Barrier Reef could advocate for themselves? Or if forests could become sovereign economic entities, making money and acquiring the deeds to neighbouring forests in order to protect them?

This fascinating article explores the implications of mixing automation, robotics, and artificial intelligence with conservation work in order to bypass the political structures that typically stand in the way of environmentalism.

The scenarios sound far-fetched – in many ways, they are. But this possible future may not be as distant as it seems. As the article points out, numerous natural features globally (such as the Wanganui River in New Zealand) have been granted legal rights, and “robots have already managed to coordinate movement between honeybees in Austria and zebrafish in Switzerland.”

Perhaps the robot uprising won’t be so bad after all.