Artificial intelligence helps wildlife rangers combat poaching

Algorithms are a new tool in the fight against the trade of black market ivory tusks, pangolin scales and tiger skins. A group of researchers at the University of Southern California is working on technology to help rangers stay a step ahead of poachers. The Teamcore lab at USC's Center for Artificial Intelligence in Society is working on an AI-driven application called PAWS, short for Protection Assistant for Wildlife Security, which aims to equip wildlife defenders with optimized patrol routes. The illegal wildlife trade is considered the fourth most profitable criminal enterprise in the world, after drugs, weapons and human trafficking, U.K. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt announced at the 2018 Wildlife Illegal Trade Conference in mid-October. Poaching continues to threaten the survival of species around the globe.