The vast amount of underwater data now available from autonomous vehicles and ocean sensors is overwhelming for scientists sorting through it, so a team from Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) is using artificial intelligence (AI) to develop algorithms that will make the process easier. Algorithms are the guidelines used to program computers and make them smart.

“I want intelligent vehicles to go out into the ocean to scan and look for new life,” MBARI engineer Kakani Katija said.

Katija and her team received a grant from the National Science Foundation to develop a new database called FathomNet for collecting and labeling underwater imagery.

She said there is a lot we don’t know about the ocean and its inhabitants, and AI is a powerful tool for underwater exploration.

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