World-first AI for largest coral reef restoration programme

This initiative, part of the KAUST Coral Restoration Initiative (KCRI), leverages digiLab’s AI expertise to enhance coral monitoring and restoration strategies across a 100-hectare reefscape in the Red Sea. By focusing on the development and integration of advanced AI solutions, digiLab is transforming traditional coral restoration methodologies.

The AI integration is led by digiLab Co-Founder, Dr. Anhad Sandhu, with support from Dr Liz Goergen, Head of Monitoring Visualisations and Database Management at KCRI – this two-year programme will result in using AI to fast track reef restoration and conservation, at scale, for the first time.

The AI solutions are designed to tackle critical aspects of coral resilience, such as thermal tolerance and growth. Such solutions remain critical to revolutionise how coral resilience is understood and enhanced in response to changing environmental conditions.

By deploying the AI tools, digiLab is already enhancing the capabilities of environmental sensors across the reefscape. The AI solutions not only reduce the time required for coral assessments but also increase the accuracy of data that can be retrieved from key environmental stressors like temperature and light, crucial for the propagation and survival of coral species.

The collaboration between digiLab and KAUST will set a new standard for coral restoration projects worldwide. The integration of AI in this project demonstrates a scalable model for environmental conservation efforts, offering insights and methodologies that can be adapted globally to protect and restore vital reef ecosystems in the face of continued environmental challenges.

Using advanced AI technology, scientists on the project can now closely simulate and predict the behaviour of the real-world reefscape in real-time. This capability allows for easy and accessible monitoring of the coral reef ecosystem in nurseries on land and in the sea. AI tools delve into the ecosystem to uncover crucial data, such as algae growth and signs of disease.

The KCRI project is a global demonstration of coral restoration that integrates international expertise with pioneering propagation, planting and monitoring approaches to accelerate solutions for reef ecosystems at a time of unprecedented environmental change. The project focuses on restoring and enhancing coral reefs through a large-scale coral nursery system to support coral propagation and natural reproduction, with KAUST planning to plant two million corals around the reefscape by 2030, the nurseries must be efficient. At peak capacity, the sea based nurseries will produce 100,000 corals a year, with the primary land based nursery producing 400,000.

digiLab will assist KAUST in three key areas throughout this project:

• Coral measurement: digiLab is assisting KAUST with computer vision by developing an analysis pipeline to enable more efficient video monitoring. By collaborating with KAUST's team, digiLab's AI aims to reduce monitoring time of corals from two months to two weeks, enabling faster and more comprehensive tracking
• Optimal sensor placement: digiLab’s innovative sensor placement system augments the data collection, using machine learning to assess optimal sensor placement. Enhancing efficiency and reducing costs by reducing the number of sensors and time needed for data collection, whilst maintaining accuracy in monitoring vital statistics, including temperature, dissolved oxygen, photosynthetic active radiation, wind, and tide
• chatReef: the full digital twin is projected to reach 22 petabytes (22 million gigabytes) in size, making data-driven decision-making challenging. To provide an intelligent way of searching the data within the system and maximise the value of the data, digiLab is integrating its agentic LLM platform to interact with the vast unstructured and structured data within the digital twin

Speaking about the project, digiLab Co-Founder, Anhad Sandhu, says: “digiLab's partnership with KAUST on the world's largest coral restoration project marks a significant milestone in the application of AI technology to solve the world's challenges. digiLab is supporting revolutionary methods for coral reef monitoring and restoration by developing these AI models for the reefscape’s digital twin. This collaboration not only showcases digiLab's expertise in enabling AI models in complex systems, but also demonstrates the company's commitment to addressing critical environmental challenges.”

Professor Dave Suggett, KCRI Director, says: "The KAUST Coral Restoration Initiative represents a significant step towards more effective restoration of reefs globally. By partnering with digiLab to develop an AI-enabled digital twin of the reefscape, we are pioneering innovative approaches to upscale coral management efforts, including restoration decision-making. This collaboration allows us to leverage cutting-edge AI technology to monitor, predict, and optimise our restoration strategies in real-time, potentially revolutionising how we approach coral reef conservation on a global scale. Our partnership exemplifies our commitment to catalysing positive societal and global outcomes through world-leading research and technological innovation that integrates diverse sectors."