Cameras powered by artificial intelligence (AI) are helping to protect animals across large parts of Africa.

The cameras give Gabon wildlife rangers a new tool in the fight against poaching by taking photos of offenders. The systems can also monitor biodiversity loss by counting the number of animals in an area.

"Regular cameras can be 'mechanically' triggered when something triggers them, such as motion or sound," AI expert James Caton told Lifewire in an email interview. "AI built into the camera can be triggered more intelligently when items of interest pass within the frame — a person or poacher versus a moose, for example. AI can distinguish between human figures and animal figures, based on posture or size, for example."

Thanks to AI, the new camera traps developed by the Hack the Planet group are more intelligent than previous models. The system uses machine learning to analyze photos in real time on the device to detect animals and people.