Translating Ecological Evidence into Local Action

This fellowship will explore whether modern artificial intelligence, and large language models like ChatGPT in particular, can provide practical, easy-to-follow farming advice tailored to local conditions. The project will focus on pollination, which is essential for growing many crops and for maintaining healthy wildlife. Because pollination needs vary between different crops, landscapes and farming methods, one-size-fits-all advice rarely works.

Aims and Objectives

This project will develop a pilot AI tool to see whether we can use it to transform complex ecological knowledge into clear, farm-specific guidance that helps improve pollination on UK farmland.

The fellowship will spark a new collaboration at the University of York, bringing together ecologists who study pollination and sustainable farming with computer scientists working on artificial intelligence and data analysis.

In line with YESI’s ambition to support bold, cross-disciplinary ideas, the project will explore ethical, user-focused ways of using AI to turn environmental research into practical tools that farmers can use.

Working across these fields is vital to make sure AI is developed responsibly—grounded in real ecological knowledge and shaped by the needs and values of the people it is meant to support.