AI images threaten birdwatching research data

Researchers warn that AI-generated and AI-enhanced images are flooding citizen science platforms like iNaturalist and Macaulay Library, contaminating records used to track species ranges. A false red-winged blackbird sighting in Brazil was created when a photographer asked AI to improve an epaulet oriole photo. iNaturalist has flagged only 1,400 of its 610 million images for AI use.