News Story

How citizen science helps us think again in the age of AI

Friday 20 Mar 2026

This article is part of a special series celebrating KMi’s 30 years. Over the past three decades, KMi has been at the forefront of pioneering research and innovation in knowledge technologies, shaping the way information is created, shared, and understood. In this series, we revisit some of the most impactful projects that have influenced academia, industry, and society, highlighting their significance and legacy.

As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes a routine study companion, drafting essays, solving problems, and offering instant explanations, researchers are asking a new question: what happens to our own ability to think? Several recent studies suggest that frequent use of generative AI can weaken memory, dilute reasoning skills, and distance students from the process of learning itself.

The Citizen Science and Artificial Intelligence (CSAI) group, spanning KMi and EEES, is tackling this challenge with a refreshingly hands-on approach. Since 2017, the team has explored how technology can support learning not by replacing experience, but by deepening it.

Their flagship platform, iSpot, invites anyone to upload photos of wildlife and get help identifying species through a blend of AI suggestions and community expertise. The platform has reached global audiences and been featured on BBC’s Springwatch and Wild Isles. At the OU, students use iSpot for real‑world assessments; tasks grounded in observation, not something a chatbot can easily complete. Citizen science methodologies in iSpot not only develop students’ field skills (a challenge for online learning courses) but also give them an experience of being part of a community recording real biodiversity data that is being used to make real world decisions.

Beyond identification, CSAI is experimenting with digital haptic tools that let users “feel” natural textures at different scales, such as microscopic images of leaf stomata (the openings for exchange of gases during photosynthesis), through a screen. And in schools, particularly in communities with limited access to green spaces, the group helps transform small outdoor areas into research sites. Children plant wildflowers, track pollinators, sketch what they see, and document their findings using tablets, turning local biodiversity into a living classroom.

“When children see something grow because of their actions, learning becomes personal,” the team explains. “It’s not just data, it’s curiosity in motion.”

Their work comes at a critical moment. The UK remains one of the most nature‑depleted countries, and only a minority of children spend regular time outdoors. By reframing citizen science as a cycle of noticing, acting, and caring, CSAI is helping reconnect people, especially young learners, with the environment around them.

Their message is simple but timely: even in an AI‑driven world, meaningful learning often begins by stepping outside and paying attention.