Scientists warn AI-edited bird photos could create fake sightings and threaten biodiversity research

Artificial intelligence has transformed wildlife photography, allowing people to sharpen blurry images, remove distracting branches and enhance colours with just a few clicks. But scientists now say these seemingly harmless edits could have unintended consequences far beyond social media. A new commentary published in Nature Ecology & Evolution warns that AI-enhanced bird photographs are beginning to contaminate citizen-science databases that researchers use to monitor biodiversity, migration patterns and the effects of climate change. As millions of birdwatchers upload observations every year, even subtle AI-generated alterations could create false species records, making it harder for scientists to distinguish genuine sightings from digitally manipulated ones.Why are scientists concerned about AI-edited bird photos?Researchers say the biggest threat is not entirely fake bird images but real photographs that have been enhanced using generative AI tools.