China launches AI tool for deep-sea research

ISTANBUL

A deep-sea exploration artificial intelligence (AI) model, developed by a team led by Chinese scientists, was launched this week to enhance the understanding of the deep ocean, the Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday.

The model, named DePTH-GPT, combines AI technologies such as deep learning, large language models, computer vision, and knowledge reasoning to analyze various types of data, including video footage, topography, hydrodynamics, sediment, and bioacoustics.

This model is set to transform deep-sea research, moving from traditional qualitative methods to a more intelligent, interpretable, and predictive approach.

According to the Second Institute of Oceanography under the Ministry of Natural Resources, DePTH-GPT has already established an intelligent cognitive system for a deep-sea seamount and a hydrothermal vent field.

DePTH-GPT is a product of the Digital DEPTH project, which is dedicated to studying deep-sea ecosystems and was launched as part of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.

In the future, the model will be accessible to global research institutions and international organizations to create intelligent cognitive systems for a variety of deep-sea habitats, including seamounts, hydrothermal vents, abyssal plains, and continental slopes.