Currie, R. (2023, January 23). Rentokil turns to AI rat recognition to analyze populations. The Register® – Biting the hand that feeds IT. Retrieved January 29, 2023, from https://www.theregister.com/2023/01/23/rentokil_rat_recognition_ai/
AI technology is constantly evolving, and it’s continuously posing new ways to solve problems using AI. Recently, the pest control company Rentokil has been developing their own way to get rid of pests. Last year, engineering academics built a laser machine to hunt and kill cockroaches, and Rentokil has taken this idea and expanded it. Their focus: rat populations. While the company isn’t releasing laser machines into crawl spaces, they are using the same machine vision to analyze rat populations. Using facial recognition, the machines will be able to identify one rat from another, and will be able to track where they are sleeping, eating, which building they come from, and which rat is causing damage. With this information, the company will be able to conclude the best way to dispatch them. There are an increasing number of ways to apply AI technology, and it seems pest control may be another that’s making its way to the future.
While this idea sounds intriguing, there is quite a bit of doubt and theoretical issues that surround this new method of pest control. Firstly, the cameras would likely have to operate on WiFi, as a camera with a connecting cable would prove to be easily destroyed by the rats. Others argue that if Rentokil is able to place a camera in a space where rats live, why not just place a trap instead? There are many valid arguments that question whether using AI technology is worth it, or even necessary. A commenter on the website article argued that there is an alternative method tested in New York; which proposes feeding rats contraceptives and effectively stopping the increase of their population. Another commenter states that their method of pest control is working just as well- in the form of their cuddly cat. So this begs the question, is the use of facial recognition and AI even worth it to control pest populations?
The whole concept of this is far out, imo. This is an excellent abstract, followed by a thoughtful commentary which has got me thinking, Isabel. Do we need to know one rat from the other through facial recognition? I have to think this seemingly science fiction approach is worth exploring for a minute though. Who knows what its applications could be.
Excellent post, Isabel!
Thank you for reading! I agree, I think the article lost me when they claimed that they could distinguish one rat from another. I think their argument about facial recognition is to see where the rat is coming from and if it’s the same rat as before. But I don’t see how that’s entirely plausible, especially in small, dark crawl spaces.
This is a very interesting pest management technique I’ve never heard of. This also seems a little far-fetched and expensive, especially for the average homeowner. I wonder what the success rate is for this contraption.
Thanks for reading! I question this method as well, and while it’s interesting, I feel like there are so many ways that are easier than this to control rat populations. I will do more research on how successful this is.