Could ROBOTS be the key to protecting Britain against an Asian hornet invasion? Scientists train AI to detect the predators and raise the alarm

An army of AI robots fighting off an invasion of giant insects might sound like some dodgy sci-fi, but scientists say it could soon become a reality. Asian hornets have already become established in much of Europe, Asia, and the US, leaving the UK at the edge of the predators' 'European invasion front'. Now, scientists from the University of Exeter have trained an AI to spot the hornets before they have a chance to spread. VespAI, as the researchers have dubbed the system, can automatically attract, record, and identify the invasive insects with near-perfect accuracy. 'VespAI shows promise as a robust early warning system to detect Asian hornet ingressions into new regions,' said co-author, Dr Thomas O'Shea-Wheller.