I tried to trick the latest smart spotting scope with a stuffed seagull – but it was smarter than me!
How smart are smart bird optics? I tried to fool the AI-driven device – but failed
The GoBirding Vision Master APL-ETF-M1 is an advanced smart spotting scope that uses artificial intelligence to recognize birds. It offers a vast database of over 1,500 bird species, accessible both directly on the device and through the GoBirding app. By merely pressing the AI button and positioning the bird within the on-screen red box, the scope can provide an identification within seconds.
While this is a fascinating feature, the reporter decided to test the scope's intelligence by attempting to fool it with various fake birds. These included cuddly toys, teddy bears, and an artfully crafted paper plate seagull made by the reporter's daughter. Despite their best efforts, the scope was consistently able to discern that these were not real birds.
The scope did not seem to rely on simply detecting bird-like shapes but rather analyzed a multitude of visual details to accurately distinguish genuine birds from inanimate objects. This experiment revealed the scope's impressive capabilities, demonstrating that the AI identification function was more than just a gimmick. When confronted with actual birds, the Vision Master provided fast and accurate identification.
The reporter, who went into the experiment hoping to capture the scope identifying a stuffed seagull, was ultimately left impressed with the technology. Despite the possibility that someone will eventually find a way to trick a smart spotting scope, the reporter acknowledges that the AI identification feature appears to be a genuine and useful addition to smart optics.
Written by urgent.news from Digital Camera World's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.