r/MiddletownOhio • u/WYSOPublicRadio • Apr 28 '26

This Ohio teen is using AI to stomp out an annoying invasive

https://www.wyso.org/2026-04-28/this-ohio-teen-is-using-ai-to-stomp-out-an-annoying-invasive

One 15-year old in Butler County has another idea on how to limit the spotted lanternfly's spread. Melody Lin developed a project as part of her local chapter of 4-H that uses AI to assess spotted lanternfly risk for different areas of Ohio.

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u/[deleted] Apr 29 '26

why address a major environmental concern (invasive species) with another major environmental concern (massive water usage and subsequent drought & data centers in Black communities as blatant environmental racism). it’s much more practical to devote time, money, and resources to assessing risk by opting for actual field data from entomologists, real eradication efforts, and destroying their equally invasive host tree, tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima) than to invest in technology that facilitates ecocide and environmental racism

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u/MichaelParkinbum May 03 '26

She used AI because she's 15 and it's part of a fucking 4-H project. Jesus Christ give her a break

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u/[deleted] 27d ago

sorry i don’t believe the onus of responsibility for wider environmental care should be forced onto children, particularly when a handful of hyper-rich adults are trying to market their environmental destruction machine as a viable option. children should be taught the CORRECT way to maintain native ecosystems, free of racism and extractive colonialism, so that they can continue to be enriched by them as the grow into adults and in turn give their care back.