Nature Podcast Audio long read: ‘I rarely get outside’ — scientists ditch fieldwork in the age of AI
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Jan 26, 2026 A deep look at how AI and digitized collections are changing ecological research. How sensors, camera traps and acoustic tools scale biodiversity monitoring. Reasons why fewer researchers do traditional fieldwork and the career and systemic pressures behind that shift. The persistent need for on-site data to train and validate algorithms and how field time can reshape scientific questions.
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Digital PhD, No Fieldwork
- Tadeo Ramirez Parada did his PhD analysing one million digitised herbarium captions without touching a single flower.
- His machine-learning work revealed plants shift flowering times with rising temperatures rather than via selection.
Scale And Continuity Through Technology
- Digitised specimens, sensors and AI let ecologists monitor nature at unprecedented scales and times.
- These tools enable continuous, automated observation that was previously impossible.
Roadside Cameras Spot Invaders
- The CAM Alien project mounts cameras on vehicles to spot invasive plants and uploads real-time alerts across Europe.
- The system has moved from potential to operational use across 16 countries.