Bengal tigers, red pandas and mountain gorillas are among the world's most familiar endangered species, but tens of thousands of others - like the Karpathos frog, the Perote deer mouse or the Mekong giant catfish - are largely unknown.
Typically perceived as lacking star quality, these species are now roaming massive billboards in one of the world's busiest destinations. An AI-powered initiative is spotlighting lesser-known endangered creatures on Times Square billboards this month, nightly in the few minutes before midnight across nearly 100 screens.
The project, dubbed Critically Extant, uses AI to illustrate the limited public data available on critically endangered flora and fauna. It's the first deep learning art display in the Times Square Arts program's decade-long history.
A neural network can only create images based on what it's seen in training data, and there's very little information online about some of these critically endangered species, said artist Sofia Crespo, who created the work with support from Meta Open Arts, using NVIDIA GPUs for AI training and inference. This project is ultimately about representation - for us to recognize that we are biased towards some species versus others.
Artwork courtesy of Sofia Crespo These biases in representation have implications on the effort and funding given to save different species. Research has shown that a small subset of endangered species that are considered charismatic, cute or marketable receive more funding than they need, while most others receive little to no support.
When endangered species of any size - such as insects, fungi or plants - are left without conservation resources, they're more vulnerable to extinction, contributing to a severe loss of biodiversity that makes ecosystems and food webs less resilient.
Intentionally Imperfect Portraits The AI model, created by Crespo and collaborator Feileacan McCormick, was trained on a paired dataset of nearly 3 million nature images and text describing around 10,000 species. But this still wasn't enough data to create true-to-life portraits of the less popular endangered species.
So the deep learning model, a generative adversarial network, does the best it can, guessing the features of a given endangered species based on related species. Due to the limited source data, many of the AI-generated creatures have a different color or body shape than their real-life counterparts - and that's the point.
Part of the project was relying on the open-source data that's available right now, said Crespo. If that's all the data we have, and species go extinct, what kind of knowledge and imagination do we have about the world that was lost?
Critically Extant features more than 30 species, including amphibians, birds, fish, flowering plants, fungi and insects. After feeding species names to the generative AI model, Crespo animated and processed the synthetic images further to create the final moving portraits.
https://blogs.nvidia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/ce_gif_02_5sec.mp4
The AI model behind this project was trained using a cluster of NVIDIA Tensor Core GPUs. Crespo used a desktop NVIDIA RTX A6000 GPU for what she called lightning-quick inference.
AI in the Public Square Critically Extant's Times Square display premiered on May 1 and will be shown nightly through the end of the month.
Image by Michael Hull/Times Square Arts The three-minute display features all 30+ specimens in a randomized arrangement that shifts every 30 seconds or so. Crespo said that using the NVIDIA RTX A6000 GPU was essential to generate the high-resolution images needed to span dozens of digital billboards.
Crespo and McCormick, who run an ecology and AI-focused studio, also enhanced the art display with an AI-generated soundtrack trained on a diverse range of animal sounds.
The idea is to show diversity with many creatures, and overwhelm the audience with creatures that look very different from one another, Crespo said.
The project began as an exhibition on Instagram, with the goal of adding representation of critically endangered species to social media conversations. At Times Square, the work will reach an audience of hundreds of thousands more.
Crespo's work brings the natural world directly into the center of the very urban environment at odds with these at-risk species, and nods to the human changes that will be required to save them, reads the Times Square Arts post.
Crespo and McCormick have showcased their work at NVIDIA GTC, most recently an AI-generated fragment of coral reef titled Beneath the Neural Waves.
Learn more about AI artwork by Crespo and McCormick on the NVIDIA AI Art Gallery, and catch Critically Extant in Times Square through May 31.
Times Square images courtesy of Times Square Arts, photographed by Michael Hull. Artwork by Sofia Crespo.
Most recent headlines
17/02/2025
TVBEurope talks to the team who brought a piece of broadcasting history back to life on BBC Wales last night
By Jenny Priestley
Published: February 14, 2025 ...
17/02/2025
Eligible studios will receive the relief directly from their local authorities, with no need to submit a claim
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 17, 20...
17/02/2025
As DEI initiatives come under pressure in the USA, supporters of Rise, which promotes diversity in the media and entertainment sector, discuss the continuing im...
17/02/2025
EIB Global loan will partially fund SES's continued O3b mPOWER medium earth orbit (MEO) fleet expansion enabling additional capacity worldwide. O3b mPOWER s...
15/02/2025
At Nielsen, Business Resource Groups (BRGs) play a critical role in nurturing a ...
15/02/2025
Innovation to empower creativity: Explore the latest in Lightroom
Rob Christensen February 15, 2025
0 Comments
Whether you want to remove distracting ...
15/02/2025
Wisycom, a worldwide leader in RF technology and provider of wireless solutions, announces a new distribution agreement with EQUAPHON. An Argentinian profession...
15/02/2025
DPA Microphones, the leading manufacturer of high-quality microphone solutions, is pleased to welcome Nicholas Nick Mariano and Vincent Vince Divine to the ...
15/02/2025
Tuxera, a leading provider of quality-assured file systems and networking solutions, will showcase how Tuxera Fusion SMB enables unprecedented performance for m...
15/02/2025
Bitmovin's latest Video Developer Report indicates an increasing role of AI, the slow adoption of next-generation codecs, and continuing challenges when it ...
15/02/2025
When Michelin Enterprises set out to promote its prestigious Hotel Guide in the new Sleepless in the Kitchen , campaign, veteran German/Slovenian gaffer Robert...
15/02/2025
Formula E, the world's first all-electric racing series, revolutionizing motorsport with cutting-edge technology and a commitment to sustainability has sele...
15/02/2025
Agile Content, a global leader in TV and video technology solutions, announces its rebranding to AgileTV.
The transition to AgileTV stems from a commitment to ...
15/02/2025
Hiltron Communications will promote the latest additions to its range of satellite communication products, systems and supporting services at GovSatCom 2025. Th...
15/02/2025
Following the success of the original Airglow Booklight, DoPchoice debuts a new addition to their inflatable line the Float. This lightweight, inflatable, round...
15/02/2025
LAS VEGAS Marshall Electronics has announced that it will debut its newest camera controller, the RCP Plus, at the 2025 NAB Show at Booth N2649 between April 5 ...
15/02/2025
ATLANTA Gray Media has named Blake Sebo as the next general manager of KTUU and KYES, Gray's NBC and CBS affiliates in Anchorage, Alaska....
15/02/2025
KOKKEDAL, Denmark DPA Microphones will feature its new CORE+ technology for distortion-free microphone sound at the 2025 NAB Show, April 5-9, in Las Vegas....
15/02/2025
SWANSEA, U.K. QuickLink will launch StudioPro-NDI and StudioPro-3, two new models of its QuickLine StudioPro video production platform, at the 2025 NAB Show, Ap...
15/02/2025
Live From 2025 NBA All-Star Game Weekend: After 25 Years, Turner Sports All-In F...
15/02/2025
NASCAR Driver Cam on Max Embraces Cloud-Based Workflow for 2025 Season Chris Brown of WBD Sports says Mobii will play key part in delivering signals from the tr...
14/02/2025
Last month, we officially launched the Spotify Partner Program, a powerful new m...
14/02/2025
From an island off the coast of Lutruwita to the global stage in France SBS & ...
14/02/2025
The future of electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) land systems is evolving so that ...
14/02/2025
Here are 5 reasons why you should attend ISE 2025
Discover more about Calrec: Learn more about Calrec's legacy of innovation in broadcast audio solutions ...
14/02/2025
World Radio Day: On the same wavelength
By Graham Murray, International Sales Manager at Calrec
To mark World Radio Day, Calrec's International Sales Ma...
14/02/2025
DALLAS and TYSONS, Va. Tegna has concluded a broadcast rights agreement that makes Tegna's KFAA in Dallas the exclusive local television partner of the Dall...
14/02/2025
Amazon's Prime Video has released a new app for Apple TV that the streamer said delivers an improved streaming experiences with faster scrolling, improved s...
14/02/2025
CLEVELAND Telos Alliance announced a software update for its Axia Quasar XR and SR line of audio-over-IP (AoIP) mixing consoles and will show the offering at th...
14/02/2025
Puget Systems Returns to HPA Tech Retreat 2025 with New Analysis Tools for Puge...
14/02/2025
Glass Animals: Tour of Earth Uses Blackmagic Live Production Workflow
Brie Clayton February 14, 2025
0 Comments
80six deploys Blackmagic URSA Broadcas...
14/02/2025
A dispute between Paramount and Youtube TV that would have pulled CBS stations and Paramount's cable channels from the streaming service has been temporaril...
14/02/2025
Colourist Deidre (Dee) McClelland details how she helped shape the distinct look and feel of whimsical Oscar-nominated stop-motion film, Memoir of a Snail
By C...
14/02/2025
BitFire said it intends to introduce forward-looking services that simplify the launch of live production workflows, and enhance real-time collaboration
By Jen...
14/02/2025
The claim by the liquidators is the latest twist in the ongoing saga of the companys collapse at the end of 2021
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 14, ...
14/02/2025
A carriage dispute between YouTube TV and Paramount could come to a head today (Feb. 13), with the virtual pay TV provider threatening to pull all of the progra...
14/02/2025
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. LG Electronics USA has opened a new in-house, state-of-the-art virtual production studio at its 360,000-square-foot North American headqu...
14/02/2025
NEW YORK In a bid to help local broadcasters find new ways of monetizing their content, the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) and TVB have relea...
14/02/2025
WASHINGTON Three Democratic U.S. Senators have sent a stern letter blasting FCC Chair Brendan Carr for the weaponization of the agency for attacking broadcast...
14/02/2025
Years after launching the streaming service Apple TV+ in November of 2019, Apple has finally released a version of its steaming app for Android devices....
14/02/2025
FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. Red Digital Cinema will make its V-RAPTOR [X] and KOMODO-X camera systems available with Nikon's premier Z Mount, providing filmmaker...
14/02/2025
DAYTONA, Fla. The Fox Sports production of this year's Daytona 500 will see the addition of a few new tech elements and the continued unfolding of the broad...
14/02/2025
Watch Bryson Battles Blind Audition on The Voice Get a Four-Chair Turn Michael Bubl said the Boston Conservatory at Berklee musical theater senior might have...
14/02/2025
2025 Daytona 500: FOX Sports Looks To Ride Super Bowl LIX Momentum Into NASCAR S...
14/02/2025
14 Feb 2025
VEON's Kyivstar and the Come Back Alive Foundation Raise USD 2....
14/02/2025
Max Renews THE PITT, Starring Noah Wyle, For A Second Season
Max
Warner Bros. Television Group
The Pitt
New Episodes Of The Medical Drama From John...
14/02/2025
This year, Technicolor proudly celebrates 110 years of shaping the magic of cinema pioneering color, visual effects, and innovation that bring unforgettable l...
14/02/2025
NBA All-Star: More Games, More Teams, More Music, More Sound From the Court Turner Sports' team will deploy familiar tech to capture all the audio By Dan D...
14/02/2025
LIV Golf Continues To Innovate With Drones, Data-Driven Graphics, and All-Access...
Bengal tigers, red pandas and mountain gorillas are among the world's most familiar endangered species, but tens of thousands of others - like the Karpathos frog, the Perote deer mouse or the Mekong giant catfish - are largely unknown.
