Overview:
From divers to researchers, Palau’s community is now part of a cutting-edge marine project. Taiwan Mobile’s AI Blue platform allows locals to upload reef footage and help build a one-of-a-kind database of marine species — all in the name of conservation.
TAIPEI — Taiwan Mobile’s AI-powered ocean platform, “AI Blue,” has expanded to Palau for the first time, marking a milestone for digital marine conservation in the Western Pacific.
The platform — developed to document and identify marine species — is now being used in partnership with the Palau International Coral Reef Center (PICRC), with support from Taiwan’s Ocean Affairs Council. From now through March 2026, divers, researchers, and community participants in Palau will upload underwater footage to help build a new, locally focused marine life database.
According to the Taiwan News report by Carol Yang, Taiwan Mobile’s Blue Trend team will work with PICRC on species mapping, ecological monitoring, and research using footage and images collected in Palau’s reefs. Participants contributing data may also enter to win a Garmin or Atmos dive watch.
Launched in Taiwan in 2021, AI Blue is the first ocean knowledge platform from Taiwan to be deployed overseas. It uses generative AI and large language models to identify marine species in as little as 10 seconds with an accuracy rate of more than 80 percent, the company said.
The platform currently contains more than 21,000 species records contributed by 9,500 scholars, along with 1,700 photos of documented species. Taiwan Mobile says the database also integrates more than 100,000 environmental entries and 700,000 research records, including information on rare species such as the Japanese butterfly ray and pygmy seahorse.
Chao Chien-shun, head of Blue Trend, said the rollout in Palau creates new opportunities for sustainable tourism, environmental education, and scientific research across the region. He hopes the platform will serve governments, diving companies, and researchers working to protect marine biodiversity.
Taiwan Mobile President Lin Chih-chen said marine ecosystems are under growing strain, citing global declines in more than half of all fish populations due to overfishing. He said AI Blue helps fill critical knowledge gaps by recording marine life and supporting long-term conservation work.
Source: Taiwan News