Montreal company recognized again for AI tool that tracks whales from space

UNESCO's IRCAI placed Whale Seeker's Cetus among its top 100 AI projects, marking a second recognition for the Montreal startup; Cetus uses AI and high-resolution satellite imagery to detect and classify whales and other large marine mammals to support conservation and routing efforts.

Whale Seeker, a Montreal startup, has been recognized again for an AI system that monitors whales and other marine mammals from space. UNESCO's International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence (IRCAI) included Whale Seeker's Cetus among its top 100 AI projects and described the project as "outstanding". Cetus combines AI models with high-resolution satellite imagery to detect and classify large marine mammals across wide and often remote ocean regions. The company says the system is intended to inform conservation work and to help governments, NGOs and maritime operators design protection measures and safer shipping routes. Key details: - Cetus is listed among UNESCO IRCAI's top 100 AI projects and has been described by IRCAI as "outstanding." - The system uses artificial intelligence and high-resolution satellite images to spot and classify whales and other large marine mammals in areas that can be difficult or impossible to survey from aircraft or vessels. - Whale Seeker has proposed a "Whale Seeker Certified Routes" initiative that would use the Cetus platform to analyze and support the creation of mammal-safe shipping routes. - CEO Emily Charry Tissier said the designation validates the company's approach to building ethical, scalable AI and noted Whale Seeker's B Corp certification, recertification, and adherence to responsible AI principles. - This is the second time the Montreal start-up has been named on the IRCAI list; its 2022 aerial image analysis tool Möbius was previously designated as "outstanding." Summary: The IRCAI recognition highlights Cetus's role in applying AI and satellite imagery to marine mammal monitoring and to informing conservation management and maritime operations. Whale Seeker positions the tool as a way to provide spatially precise detections that could support protected area management, shipping and fishing decisions. Further uptake by governments, NGOs or maritime operators is undetermined at this time.