Leaping into the future: Current application and future direction of computer vision and artificial intelligence in marine sciences in South Africa

Abstract

The inaugural Computer Vision for Marine Scientists workshop was held at the 17th South African Marine Science Symposium, with the primary goal of establishing a community of practice for computer vision (CV) in marine sciences in South Africa. The one-day hybrid event, attended by 97 people, covered the principles of artificial intelligence (AI) techniques required for evaluating video and photographic imagery through presentations, practical demonstrations and interactive discussions. The recordings of the workshop sessions are available online, providing an opportunity to reach marine researchers both regionally and globally. The workshop highlighted that many scientists have begun to incorporate CV and AI into their research activities; however, there is little national coordination and the extent of research is lagging behind international trends. To support image-based AI research in South Africa, it is critical to maintain and expand the network established during the workshop. This would enable a more collaborative and successful approach to incorporating CV technology in the country's marine research initiatives, ultimately leading to ground-breaking discoveries and advancements in the field.